50 years ago

Extracts from the Barry & District News of December 26, 1963:

• Four Oxford University students in Barry are giving up a good deal of their Christmas vacation to raise money for the Oxfam Committee for Famine Relief which is striving to raise £500,000 by New Year’s Eve. They are Malcolm Thomas of Tynewydd Road, Christopher Reynolds of Romilly Park, David Smith of Cora Street and Gareth Williams of Cwm Barry Way.

• A tape-recording of a carol service held at the Neale and Ken Hospital, the Colcot, on Sunday week, is to be sent to the Wellesley Rotary Club, Massachusetts, USA. The leaders of the service were Rotarians John Rees, president of the Barry Rotary Club, Reg Jones and Bruce Vincent and Don White was the pianist.

• Mr Ray Bushell, 24, of Cora Street, sets off with his wife Jean and toddler daughter Jane, on New Year’s Day to start a new life in Northern Rhodesia, where Mr Bushell will take up an appointment as internal auditor to the municipality of Broken Hill.

25 years ago

Extracts from the Barry & District News of December 29, 1988:

• Draft proposals or a new-look Barry Town centre that could include pedestrianisation of the whole of Holton Road will be published in the spring of next year. And critics of previous attempts to redevelop King Square and the old Town Hall site will be given every opportunity to give their comments before the redevelopment plan is finalised.

• During a Christmas fancy dress competition at Colcot Primary School, the chairman of the school’s parent-teacher association, Roger Baker presented a £500 cheque for Llandough Hospital’s Special Needs Unit to Dr Jo Sibert, consultant paediatrician.

• One of Barry’s young snooker stars, Anthony Davies, picked up an early present when winning a Christmas invitation tournament organised by Cardiff’s Wellington Snooker Club to celebrate the opening of a new lounge. Davies, of Cardiff’s Penarth Road Club won £200 for his success, beating another Barry teenager, David Bell (Sea View Labour) 3-2 in the final.