Tarzan Ruled Y Dingle, Llangefni

by Gordon Weare
(New Zealand)

It was all the Arcadia's fault (Llangefni's old cinema). It inculcated in us a desire to be Tarzan. Johnny Weissmuller, Gordon Scott and Bomba the Jungle Boy.

From 'the buildings' (Pencraig & Bro Tudur) we found a rope. Up over a tree it went, over a bough that spanned the avon Cefni stream.

And now 'The Initiation of Manhood'. You must swing across the Cefni, fully dressed, and come back to the bank - first time.

If you failed to land on the first return swing.. you dangled, until your enfeebled hands, slid excrutiatingly slow, all in your Sunday best, polished shoes and gartered sox.. sank religiously into the cool, wet current of failed manhood.

It all looked so simple, we had done it before, just make sure you get a good run on the first swing. Herein, lay the secret, plonk it was cake-walk.

Fools rushed in. Our confident demonstration was really convincing. What conmen & cardsharps, what aquatic hustlers!

Allowing all those boys to go home and explain how wet it is to be led astray by the Arcadia's Tarzan movies. Such movies should be graded up to over 18's ?

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Dear Gordon,

I can see Dad in the larger model and I imagine that Mum must be a looker from the intermediate Weare.

For us, it was Pencraig Woods and a wide muddy stream and never Sunday Best. Plenty of muddy shoes and socks, though. Never gartered, just in mandatory position about ankles.

The Dingle had lost it's allure by the time we were around because our gang was quite cowardly and the Isgraig lads too tough for us.

I know that you haven't been back in Llangefni for a couple of years and in those intervening years the Llangefni Town Company (Cwmni Tref Llangefni) and friends have created a Boardwalk .

This will take you all around the Dingle and out into the open Cefni River Valley. It's a glorious walk of a few miles that can, if you feel fit enough, take you all the way to Cefni Reservoir.

The World is clearly a better place for your endeavours.

Wil