Minutes:
· The Chair paid tribute to Mr David Tom Davies OBE, MM following his recent bereavement. Mr Davies had been the Chair of the former Dyfed County Council from 1981-82 and the founding Chair of the current Carmarthenshire County Council from 1995-97 and had worked tirelessly for the county and the local community in and around Dryslwyn. He was one of the founder members of the National Botanical Garden of Wales and played a large part in establishing Aberglasney Gardens and it was only right that in 2018, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, he had been granted the Honorary Freedom of Carmarthenshire.
Mr Davies also saw service in World War 2 as a member of the Royal Artillery and spent three years as a prisoner of war. In 2016, he had published his story in a book.
· The Chair referred to the current difficult times faced by many due to the Covid-19 pandemic and expressed his thoughts to those families who had sadly been affected by the outbreak;
· The Chair expressed his appreciation to all the Council’s staff and all the other public and health services for their hard work during the pandemic in ensuring public services within Carmarthenshire could still provide as many services as possible and in helping the vulnerable in the community. He paid special thanks to the countless volunteers who had helped in the crisis over the previous three months;
· The Chair extended his congratulations to the following residents within the County who had recently celebrated their 100th Birthday:-
Ethel Wheeler –Capel Hendre
Joan Davies – Betws
Douglas Davies – Llanell-
The Retiring Chair, reflected on his year in office which, over the previous three months had been different to the norm due to the coronavirus. He expressed his appreciation to the many people who had volunteered to help the vulnerable in the community during the pandemic. He also referred to the many people he had met during his year of office and to the work they did for the communities they served and announced that a new “Civic Appreciation of Thanks Award” had been created to recognise their work. The names of the 2019-20 recipients would be published that morning, with the recipients receiving their awards later in the year. He also expressed his appreciation to those who had contributed to his charity raising £3,925 for food banks within Ammanford, Carmarthen and Llanelli.
He thanked his Vice Chairman, Councillor Ieuan Davies, and Councillor Davies’ Consort, Mrs Sue Allen, for their support and company during his term of office and wished Councillor Davies well in his year of office. He also thanked his Chaplain Reverend Caroline Jones for her spiritual support and guidance throughout the year.
He expressed his gratitude to the Chief Executive for her advice and professional guidance, and to the Directors and staff of the authority who had supported the work of the Chair, including the Democratic Services Unit, his driver Jeff Jones, and, in particular, Eira Evans for her professional and personal support, arranging his events and making sure everything always ran smoothly.
He also referred to the many people who had attended his events and those he’d attended for their support and to members of the Council for their support.
Finally, he paid tribute to his consort, Mrs. Catrin Madge, who had been at his side and guided him for the last 12 months and thanked her formally for her support. He considered that it had been an honour and a privilege to serve as the Council’s Chair and thanked all for giving him the opportunity.