I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO GIVE SOME FORM OF EULOGY AND SOME OF MY MEMORIES OF MY BEST FRIEND, AND I'M ONLY CONSCIOUS HOW THAT HIS LOSS IS SO RAW THAT I FEEL UNABLE TO STAND BEFORE YOU ALL WITHOUT BRAKING DOWN. SO I HAVE THE HONOUR TO BE ABLE TO PASS ON MY THOUGHTS TO ANOTHER CLOSE FRIEND OF EVAN.

I HAVE MANY WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF CAPTAIN EVAN WYNNE WALMSLEY. MEMORIES THAT GO BACK TO OUR EARLIEST CHILDHOOD, AS THERE WAS ONLY 6 MONTHS BETWEEN US. HE & I WERE BORN ONLY A FEW DOORS FROM EACH OTHER, HE AT 43, & MYSELF AT 12 LON GROES.

AT HOME IN NUMBER 43, HE LIVED WITH HIS MOTHER KATIE & HIS FATHER JOE, ALONG WITH HIS ELDER BROTHER CHARLES.

EVAN & I WOULD TALK OFTEN OF OUR CHILDHOOD 'ESCAPADES' IN FACT, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF US THAT WERE A GANG OF FRIENDS. ONE MEMORY THAT WOULD BRING A SMILE TO BOTH OUR FACES, WAS THE TIME WE SAW AN OSTRICH IN RACHUB! IT WAS JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS (I FORGET THE YEAR) THE GROUP OF US CHILDREN WERE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE FOR OUR CHRISTMAS LUNCH. EACH CHILD SAID THAT THEY WERE HAVING CHICKEN. BUT ONE OF OUR FRIENDS, A BOY NAMED ALLAN HALL, DRAMATICALLY SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE AN OSTRICH! WELL NONE OF US WOULD BELIEVE WHAT HE SAID. BUT HE WAS ADAMANT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE AN OSTRICH! & IF WE DIDN'T BELIEVE HIM, HE COULD SHOW US. AS THE OSTRICH WAS HOUSED IN THE GARDEN SHED! SO ALONG EVAN & THE REST OF US WENT TO INSPECT THE CREATURE! (NOW I MUST CLARIFY, ALLAN'S FATHER WAS THE MANAGER OF THE BRADIGHT PAINT FACTORY IN BETHESDA. & WAS THEREFORE, A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE. SO THERE WAS JUST A CHANCE THAT THE HALL'S WOULD BE HAVING AN OSTRICH.)

WELL WE ALL CROWDED ROUND THE SHED DOOR, & ALLAN OPENED IT DRAMATICALLY, & HANGING FROM THE ROOF OF THE SHED BY ITS NECK WITH IT'S WINGS OUT SPREAD WAS, A HUGE TURKEY!!

I LOST SOME TOUCH WITH EVAN WHEN THE FAMILY HAD TO MOVE TO PRESTON FOR HIS FATHER'S WORK, AND WE COULD ONLY 'HOOK UP' WHEN HE WOULD COME TO STAY FOR HIS HOLIDAYS WITH HIS GRANDPARENTS AT BRYN GWENITH AND OUR FRIENDSHIP WOULD CONTINUE, JUST AS IF WE HAD ONLY SEEN EACH OTHER THE DAY BEFORE! (WE WERE ABLE TO PICK THINGS UP FROM WHERE WE LEFT OFF WHEN WE LAST SAW EACH OTHER.)

AT 15 EVAN DECIDED TO GO TO SEA, SO HE JOINED THE REARDON SMITH SHIPPING COMPANY, & WORKED INCREDIBLY HARD & RAISED HIMSELF UP TO A CAPTAIN. EVAN EXPLICITLY ASKED THAT HE BE REGISTERED AS A CAPTAIN IN THE PORT AUTHORITY OFFICE IN CAERNARFON, AND NOT IN AN OFFICE IN ENGLAND AND AS IT HAPPENED EVAN WAS ONE OF THE LAST CAPTAINS TO PASS & RECEIVE HIS PAPERS FROM THE OFFICE IN CAERNARFON BEFORE IT WAS CLOSED.

HIS LIFE ON THE SEA WAS VERY HARD. HE SAW & EXPERIENCED MANY THINGS. & IF HE HAD SOME TIME TO HIMSELF TO UNWIND, HE WOLD LOVE TO GO MOUNTAINEERING IN SNOWDONIA, OR THE ALPS, BUT HIS SPECIAL PLACE WAS WAEN GORS MAI, & THE HILLS ABOVE RACHUB. HE WOULD PITCH UP A TENT, & WOULD LOVE TO BE ALONE WITH NATURE. THERE HE COULD FORGET THE HEAVY BURDEN OF HIS LIFE ON BOARD SHIP.

WHEN EVAN RETIRED FROM THE SEA, HE MOVED TO MEXICO & BOUGHT A LARGE SAILING BOAT WHICH HE WOULD CAPTAIN & CHARTER OUT TO THE MONEYED AMERICANS TO GO BIG GAME FISHING. BUT, DURING ONE TROPICAL STORM, WHILE EVAN WAS ASLEEP ON BOARD, THE BOAT WAS SUNK! & ALL EVAN REMEMBERED WAS WAKING THE NEXT MORNING LYING ON THE BEACH ANDALL THAT WAS VISIBLE OF THE BOAT WAS THE TOP OF THE MAST!

SO EVAN (AS HE ALWAYS DID WHEN ADVERSITY STRUCK) WENT TO WORK, TO DO ANY WORK SO AS TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THE RAISING OF HIS BOAT. WHILST WORKING TO RAISE THE BOAT HE BECAME VERY CLOSE TO THE MEXICAN INDIANS AND HE WAS TAKEN UNDER THEIR WING AND WHILST HE HAD VERY LITTLE, THEY TAUGHT HIM TO HUNT FOR BUSH MEAT & WHAT WAS GOOD TO EAT. HE MANY TIMES SAID THAT THE INDIANS SAVED HIS LIFE, PRACTICALLY & METAPHORICALLY. HE TRUSTED THEM, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THEY TRUSTED HIM. THEY OPENED THEIR HEARTS & THEIR HOMES TO HIM.

EVAN, THEN DECIDED TO WORK HIS WAY THROUGH MEXICO TO THE USA, SO AS TO REACH THE OFFICE OF THE SHIPPING COMPANY HE HAD WORKED FOR, AS HIS PENSION MATURED. HE BOUGHT A PLANE TICKET, & HE CAME HOME TO PEN Y GROES TO HIS PARENTS. HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS FATHER WAS A DIFFICULT ONE BUT EVAN LOVED THE BOTH OF THEM. HE LOST HIS FATHER EARLY ON, & HIS MOTHER HAD TO GO TO A HOME IN BETHESDA. EVAN HAD A LOVING & CLOSE RELATIONSHIP TO HIS MOTHER, SO IT WAS THAT HE RETURNED TO BETHESDA SO AS TO BE AS CLOSE TO HER AS POSSIBLE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE HOME WHERE HIS MOTHER LIVED HAD TO CLOSE, & SHE WAS MOVED TO THE GLAN RHOS HOME IN BRYNSIENCYN ON ANGLESEY. AGAIN, WITH NO THOUGHT FOR HIS OWN COMFORT OR HEALTH, HE MOVED TO BRYNSIENCYN TO LIVE IN A SHED, WHICH WAS DAMP & VERY BASIC JUST SO AS TO BE CLOSE TO HIS MOTHER.

HE CARED VERY LITTLE FOR HIS OWN HAPPINESS, OR HEALTH, HIS MOTHER CAME FIRST. & WHAT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE WAS HOW MUCH HIS MOTHER LOVED HIM!

WHEN EVAN'S MOTHER WAS PLACED IN THE HOME IN BETHESDA, MY FRIENDSHIP WITH EVAN WAS RE-KINDLED AND JUST AS IT WAS WHEN HE WOULD COME TO STAY WITH HIS GRANDPARENTS ON HIS CHILDHOOD HOLIDAYS, WE WERE ABLE TO START OFF, AS IF WE HAD ONLY SEEN EACH OTHER THE DAY BEFORE! OUR FRIENDSHIP GREW STRONGER & DEEPER.

WE WOULD MEET UP EVERY THURSDAY, IT WAS OUR DAY OUT TOGETHER. & I WAS WITH HIM ON THE THURSDAY A WEEK BEFORE WE LOST HIM ABDHE WAS FULL OF PROJECTS & PLANS FOR THE FUTURE! BUT ON THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY I RECEIVED A CALL FROM HIM ASKING FOR HELP. I DROVE THERE AND THEN TO HIS NEW HOME IN ABER BRAINT AND I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THE STATE HE WAS IN. I MUST SAY I HAVE NEVER SEEN A GUY IN SUCH A BAD WAY. I WAS WITH HIM FOR QUITE A FEW HOURS AND HE SAID HE WAS BETTER & SO HE SENT ME HOME. I SAW HIM AGAIN ON THE WEDNESDAYAND HE WAS A LITTLE BETTER, HE SAID THAT RICHARD, ANOTHER CLOSE FRIEND WAS COMING TO VISIT HIM THAT EVENING. I SPOKE TO EVAN ON THE THURSDAY,AND HE WAS FEELING (AS HE SAID) MUCH BETTER. SO IT WAS A GREAT SHOCK TO ME TO RECEIVE A CALL ON THE FRIDAY EVENING FROM RICHARD, TO SAY THAT WE HAD LOST HIM.

I CAN ONLY SAY FOR MY SELF, & MY FAMILY THAT I AND WE HAVE LOST A TRUE FRIEND. A FRIENDSHIP THAT HAS LASTED THE BEST PART OF 70 YEARS! AND I SHALL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR HIS FRIENDSHIP AND THE TIME WE HAD TOGETHER WILL BE VERY PRECIOUS TO ME!

EIFION HUGHES.