ELECTION TIPS

ELECTION TIME AND A FEW TIPS FOR THE UNDECIDED VOTERS

Yes, it is once again time to hold the elections for representatives on the Gwynedd County and Caernarfon Town Councils and the first thing I would wish to impress upon all of you is the importance of casting your vote for one or more of the candidates. Do not underestimate the fact that this is an ideal platform for those with aspirations to serve their fellow men.

Firstly, I will deal with the Town Council. It is a well known fact that the powers of this community council are very limited and can be compared with the parish councils in the period prior to the first Local Government Reorganization in 1974. Nevertheless, this should not deter anyone from ignoring the importance of electing suitable councillors to represent them at this level. The main reason for this being that it is an excellent opportunity for those with little or no experience of Local Government to serve an “apprenticeship” in this field. However, and before deciding on whom to vote for I would suggest that you talk to the candidates and read and digest all the literature that comes through your letterbox at election time. After doing so, decide for yourself as to whom has convinced you that he or she has a genuine concern for the wellbeing of the Ward, irrespective of whether membership of a political party comes into it or not. The person you are looking for should be sincere in wishing to contribute to his/her town and not be concerned about the status being a councillor brings and bide his time waiting for an opportunity to wear that much coveted Mayoral Chain. Beware also the glory seeker not content to attend to the complaints of electors, without seeking publicity for his or her actions. The satisfaction of having been able to help someone with a problem should be enough of a reward in itself without making it known to all and sundry.

When deciding on voting for a representative on the County Council, the same criteria apply in general, but here more emphasis should be put on the suitability of the person from an educational point of view. If someone were to approach him/her requesting a letter be sent to an authority stating a particular case or grievance it is imperative that the letter be written in such a way as to give credence to the content and to be devoid of elementary grammatical errors in either English or Welsh. And remember it does not need an Oxford Don to be able to do that. People expect councillors not only to be able to express themselves eloquently in both languages, but to act as unpaid secretaries as well.

May both Gwynedd and Caernarfon Councils benefit as a result of this election.

The South African War Memorial

The recent news that many Caernarfon people are desirous of having the cenotaph situated on Twtil Bach moved to a more accessible location is welcomed. One can well appreciate how difficult it is for ageing ex-service veterans to go up there to pay their respects to the fallen of the County of Caernarfon in what was termed as the Boer War.

It may come as a surprise to many to realize that the cenotaph was erected as a mark of respect for 24 servicemen from all over the county who lost their lives in the war and 8 of the 24 came from the town of Caernarfon itself. In all 188 from the County of Caernarfon served in South Africa, 92 of which were from Caernarfon itself, almost a half of the total.

In view of the above it was decided that the cenotaph be erected in the town and as a large proportion came from the Twtil area, 28 were from Mountain Street alone, Twtil Bach offered itself as an ideal location overlooking the Menai Straits.

The official unveiling took place at 3.30 in the afternoon of July 2. 1904. The Chief Constable, Lord Lieutenant, Mayors of Caernarfon, Bangor, Conwy and Pwllheli were present, together with Town Councillors and members of the Memorial Committee. There were also representations from the various Regiments who had served in the war and leading the procession was the Band of the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers. The ceremony was followed with a march through the town to the County Hall, where Mrs. Assheton-Smith unveiled a plaque with the names of the 188 who served in the war on behalf of the subscribers and presented it to the County Council’s Chairman, who received it on behalf of the Council. The Officer Commanding the 23rd Regimental District spoke on behalf of the services.

If the monument is to be moved, then it is felt that it should remain in the area and Sgwâr Twtil should seriously be considered as a new location.

BUSINESS MEETING IN CELTIC ROYAL

I am pleased to learn that this meeting will take place on January 29th and hope that Caernarfon Online will be invited and represented by the Editor, Mr. Gareth Edwards and Councillor W. Roy Owen, News Editor.

This is an excellent opportunity for the town's traders to see how they can benefit from the experience of the lady speaker concerned. They would be well advised to take heed of what she has to say and not be influenced by pre conceived ideas as is often the case.

History tells us that it was in the early 1830's that Caernarfon first benefitted from the Industrial Revolution with a booming Slate Trade and that it produced stores that were the envy of other towns in North Wales. The Nelson (Est. 1837) to name but one.

There were others such as Pierce and Williams, Yr Afr Aur, Edward Owen, Yr Angor Aur and J.R. Pritchard, Bazaar, Pool Street, who sold his thriving business to Woolworths in 1930.













These people were all local to the area and prospered here. The main reason for that was that they not only earned a living in Caernarfon, but they served their community as civic leaders and were the backbone of the town's chapels and churches.What we have in Caernarfon today are many who are looking to make a 'fast Buck' and do not and will not blend into the community as their predecessors did in the 19th and early 20th centuries. We have far too many outlets selling such items as greeting cards and gifts with a high margin of profit. Gone are the days of the Family Grocer and Provisions. Even Butchers are under threat with the supermarkets selling quality meat at a competitive price.

The town is cluttered with cafes, building societies, offices where shops used to be in the main streets and where there are shops they are stocked with items people only need to buy once in a blue moon.

Let us hope that this meeting will help to get towspeople working together for the benefit of Caernarfon and bury once and for all this idea that the Victoria Dock Development is there to take business away from the town centre.

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