Well over the last few years I have written many a blog about my beloved Beaumaris Bowling Club and the bowlers I have been privileged to have played and had many a pint with, over my thirty five years of bowling. Standing out, head and shoulders above them all was my great friend Kenneth "Clogs" Parry or the "Clog Man" as I dubbed him in my blogs.
It is therefore with a very, very sad heart that, as the 12th March 2020 comes to an end, that I write this eulogy for my friend in bowls, both on and off the green, since I first met him at the Happy Valley Nou Camp in 1984. Yes Clogs, at around 3.00am this morning, succumbed to the very cruel illness ( Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - I.P.F.), he had been bravely battling against since late 2016, in the caring company of his beloved wife Brenda and doting daughter Emma.
Clogs was born in Caernarfon on the 5th May 1944, in the renowned "Ysgubor Goch" district or the "Ysgups" as he called it. He was a proud "Cofi" (a person born and bred in Caernarfon), and was one of eight siblings. His three older brothers having already now passed, but his four sisters, still alive and living in the Caernarfon area. He, like many young children of his time, left school at the earliest opportunity to earn much needed money to support the family. Work took him to ply his trade as a Steel Fixer at the Dinorwic Hydro Electric Power Station in Llanberis, now of course known as the "Electric Mountain".
A lot of people asked me where the name Clogs came from. Well my version was that his Grandfather was the last Clog Maker in Caernarfon, but when I used to recount that to others in front of him, his language was less than complimentary shall I say !!!. But that's my version anyway.
By the late 60's he had met his wife to be Brenda Owen, a young woman from Beaumaris. They married and set up home in the newly constructed Llanfaes Council Estate just outside Beaumaris, before a few years later moving to their new home at 30 Maeshyfryd in Beaumaris. It wasn't long before their children arrived, firstly Mathew and then daughter Emma. By now, as well as Steel Fixing, Clogs had also developed his skills to become a more than adequate slate and tile roofer.
By the late 70's the Great Orm had come to live in the town and decided to take up bowls at the Nou Camp, but having found that he was to be frozen out and black balled by the then "Old Guard" players at the Beaumaris Bowling Club, Ormi decided to set up a second team to play in the local Anglesey and Bangor and District Leagues. But to do that he needed players and from behind the castle ramparts, so to speak, Ken Parry (Clogs), Barry Harris (Happy Harris), Derek and Andrew Stanley, as well as youngsters, Ken's son Mathew, who for some reason he called "Mwsh", the late Gavin Williams and Mike's own son's Mathew and Joseph, were recruited to play for the team.
Clogs took to the game, like a pig in muck, and quickly bought a set of "Three Pounder" woods, which were not at the time the bowls of everyone's preference. But Clogs had a "cunning plan" and that was,if any opponent put their woods close to the jack he would blast them out of sight. Yes Clogs's bowling etiquette was not what was to be generally expected in what then was thought to be the gentlemen's game of Crown Green Bowling. But Clogs was Clogs and his style of bowling and his enjoyment of a few after match Amber Nectars, soon earned him the great respect of many bowlers on and off the green, not only locally, but down the Coast, when Beaumaris later joined the North Wales Coast League and the North Wales Super League.
In around 1984, Clogs entered my life, when I and my first wife took on the tenancy of the Happy Valley Nou Camp Pavilion Cafe. By the end of that Summer season Clogs had got me hooked on the game, by giving me my first bowling lesson, using not the most elegant of teaching language shall I say. So our friendship began, but as my woods started getting nearer the jack, he gave me no quarter as, as I walked up to the end, without warning, his "Three Pounder" would flash past me, to smash by woods into oblivion. Yes even now I look at my old woods and see the chips encrusted on them from the times I played against him.
Clogs was not only a proud Welshman, both in football and rugby terms, but was also a lifelong supporter of Manchester United and often took his very young son Mathew to Old Trafford to watch them play. And it was not long after, that Mathew, who had become one of our very best young bowlers, made even prouder, when he was selected to play for the Welsh Junior team. Clogs had, in the nicest sense, a very good way of connecting with young children, so through his son Mathew, when other young lads joined the Club ( Daniel and Andrew Hennessey, Lee and Alan Brown, Kevin Williams and Dylan Williams), he acted as their mentor and in many ways became their bowling hero. My Grandson Eddie, a few years ago when only aged 7, had only been in his company a short while at the P G green, before telling me he was off with his "Mate Ken", following him round the green like a trusty Collie following his faithful Shepherd.
Clogs by now had become a well known and respected player, but also a man of course who liked to combine bowls with a few pints as well. This being said, nearly all the Bar Maids in the pubs of the Town, knew him by name and he'd only have to walk through the pub door and his pint of lager was already being pulled, much to the annoyance of others, like myself, who were waiting to be served.
So the bowls and pint culture of the Club developed under his leadership, resulting in the Club's first "Big Away Day" in 1990 when a coach load of us travelled to the Mitchell and Butlers Bowling Club in Smethwick Birmingham for the British Mens Merit Finals Day. We arrived early and headed down Smethwick High Street for a cup of tea and a bacon bap. Clogs was a bit ill at ease as I don't think he'd ever before been outnumbered by so many of our Ethnic Minority brethren shall I say and was quickly looking for an excuse to return to the sanctity of the Bowling Club. His excuse was shortly to come, as having found a Greasy Spoon Cafe, he took one look at his mug of tea which was encrusted with what looked like a Motorway Map of the U.K and he was off, before waiting to see what his bacon bap was going to look like on the plate.
Clogs had great success in his bowling career. He won the Coast League Division 3 Aggregates when Beaumaris entered the league in the late 80's, won many a Doubles Competition with Barry Harris and later another great friend of his Garry Healey of the Bangor City Bowling Club. He also, for one season only, played for Bangor in 1996, I believe, to help them win the Division 1 title. But most of his greatest achievements came when he became a Veteran. He won the Welsh Veterans Mens Title at the Llay Bowling Club in Wrexham in 2007 and at around that time also played many times for the Welsh Veterans Team, under the stewardship of the now Patron of the Welsh CGBA, John Percy. He also of course played many times for the Gwynedd Parks and Mon Menai Federation of Crown Green Bowls teams and the Gwynedd Veterans team. He was also of a member of the Beaumaris A team that won the Coast League Division 1 title twice in the early 00's and the Beaumaris team that won the Gwynedd Knockout Cup twice at around the same time v Deganwy at Blaenau and Llanrwst at Llanfair P.G.
Clogs to many over his years in bowls, due to his at times, gruff and bullish exterior was a bit like "Marmite", meaning you instantly liked him or instantly didn't like him. But under that tough exterior there was a man with a good and generous heart, who if he classed you as a true friend, would do anything for you. Besides people like myself, Mike, Barry, Derek, Andrew, Hefin, D T and many others from Beaumaris and other Clubs, you could often see that side of him and for that reason, wherever I travelled over the last few years in my capacity as Deputy President and President of the Welsh CGBA, the first thing people would ask me was, "How's Clogs".
One such close friend in later years was Andy Owens who joined the Club from playing with Bangor City for many years in the early 00's. They became, what I would describe as a marriage made in heaven. They not only worked relentlessly together to improve the bowling green, when Clogs was our Green Keeper for many years,but Clogs also became Andy's unofficial "roadie" when he set up his new King Kong Disco, helping him to move equipment in and out of venues. Mind you payment was generally not in cash, but via drinking sessions that lasted till last orders were called or beyond.
Well that's it I suppose, my 35 years of memories of Clogs laid out into a few words. We will all have memories of him and am sure in years to come will share them over a pint of two. It was indeed a fortunate turn of fate, when the Great Orm got him to play bowls in the early 80's, for without that many of us would never have been privileged to have known him.
Over the last few years I had visited him often at his house and when he felt up to it, took him along to various greens to spectate. But over the last nine months it was very very sad to see his deterioration, from a once proud, larger than life character within the Beaumaris Town Community and our bowling world, to a man slowly succumbing to what was a very cruel illness. In the most part he kept his good humour, often saying "Mathias I'll be back playing bowls next year". It was nice to hear that a number of his old bowling friends had over the Winter visited him at the house as I think that reminded him of much happier times. His wife Brenda was also a marvellous caring and loving Nurse to him over the last few years, insisting on bringing him home from Ysbyty Gwynedd two weeks ago inorder that he could spend his last days close to all his loving family. As the Great Orm said to me last week, Mathias we are all unfortunately getting to the top of the ladder. Clogs I thought, at the age of 75,would have had a few more rungs to go up, but in the end it was a blessing that he reached the last rung and left us when he did.
So again my deepest condolences go to his widow Brenda, his children Mathew and Emma (and husband Russell), his Grandchildren Nathan, Jacob,Libby and Joseph, as well as all his extended family in and around his beloved Caernarfon.
R.I.P Kenneth Parry or just plain "Clogs" xx
It is therefore with a very, very sad heart that, as the 12th March 2020 comes to an end, that I write this eulogy for my friend in bowls, both on and off the green, since I first met him at the Happy Valley Nou Camp in 1984. Yes Clogs, at around 3.00am this morning, succumbed to the very cruel illness ( Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - I.P.F.), he had been bravely battling against since late 2016, in the caring company of his beloved wife Brenda and doting daughter Emma.
Clogs was born in Caernarfon on the 5th May 1944, in the renowned "Ysgubor Goch" district or the "Ysgups" as he called it. He was a proud "Cofi" (a person born and bred in Caernarfon), and was one of eight siblings. His three older brothers having already now passed, but his four sisters, still alive and living in the Caernarfon area. He, like many young children of his time, left school at the earliest opportunity to earn much needed money to support the family. Work took him to ply his trade as a Steel Fixer at the Dinorwic Hydro Electric Power Station in Llanberis, now of course known as the "Electric Mountain".
A lot of people asked me where the name Clogs came from. Well my version was that his Grandfather was the last Clog Maker in Caernarfon, but when I used to recount that to others in front of him, his language was less than complimentary shall I say !!!. But that's my version anyway.
By the late 60's he had met his wife to be Brenda Owen, a young woman from Beaumaris. They married and set up home in the newly constructed Llanfaes Council Estate just outside Beaumaris, before a few years later moving to their new home at 30 Maeshyfryd in Beaumaris. It wasn't long before their children arrived, firstly Mathew and then daughter Emma. By now, as well as Steel Fixing, Clogs had also developed his skills to become a more than adequate slate and tile roofer.
By the late 70's the Great Orm had come to live in the town and decided to take up bowls at the Nou Camp, but having found that he was to be frozen out and black balled by the then "Old Guard" players at the Beaumaris Bowling Club, Ormi decided to set up a second team to play in the local Anglesey and Bangor and District Leagues. But to do that he needed players and from behind the castle ramparts, so to speak, Ken Parry (Clogs), Barry Harris (Happy Harris), Derek and Andrew Stanley, as well as youngsters, Ken's son Mathew, who for some reason he called "Mwsh", the late Gavin Williams and Mike's own son's Mathew and Joseph, were recruited to play for the team.
Clogs took to the game, like a pig in muck, and quickly bought a set of "Three Pounder" woods, which were not at the time the bowls of everyone's preference. But Clogs had a "cunning plan" and that was,if any opponent put their woods close to the jack he would blast them out of sight. Yes Clogs's bowling etiquette was not what was to be generally expected in what then was thought to be the gentlemen's game of Crown Green Bowling. But Clogs was Clogs and his style of bowling and his enjoyment of a few after match Amber Nectars, soon earned him the great respect of many bowlers on and off the green, not only locally, but down the Coast, when Beaumaris later joined the North Wales Coast League and the North Wales Super League.
In around 1984, Clogs entered my life, when I and my first wife took on the tenancy of the Happy Valley Nou Camp Pavilion Cafe. By the end of that Summer season Clogs had got me hooked on the game, by giving me my first bowling lesson, using not the most elegant of teaching language shall I say. So our friendship began, but as my woods started getting nearer the jack, he gave me no quarter as, as I walked up to the end, without warning, his "Three Pounder" would flash past me, to smash by woods into oblivion. Yes even now I look at my old woods and see the chips encrusted on them from the times I played against him.
Clogs was not only a proud Welshman, both in football and rugby terms, but was also a lifelong supporter of Manchester United and often took his very young son Mathew to Old Trafford to watch them play. And it was not long after, that Mathew, who had become one of our very best young bowlers, made even prouder, when he was selected to play for the Welsh Junior team. Clogs had, in the nicest sense, a very good way of connecting with young children, so through his son Mathew, when other young lads joined the Club ( Daniel and Andrew Hennessey, Lee and Alan Brown, Kevin Williams and Dylan Williams), he acted as their mentor and in many ways became their bowling hero. My Grandson Eddie, a few years ago when only aged 7, had only been in his company a short while at the P G green, before telling me he was off with his "Mate Ken", following him round the green like a trusty Collie following his faithful Shepherd.
Clogs by now had become a well known and respected player, but also a man of course who liked to combine bowls with a few pints as well. This being said, nearly all the Bar Maids in the pubs of the Town, knew him by name and he'd only have to walk through the pub door and his pint of lager was already being pulled, much to the annoyance of others, like myself, who were waiting to be served.
So the bowls and pint culture of the Club developed under his leadership, resulting in the Club's first "Big Away Day" in 1990 when a coach load of us travelled to the Mitchell and Butlers Bowling Club in Smethwick Birmingham for the British Mens Merit Finals Day. We arrived early and headed down Smethwick High Street for a cup of tea and a bacon bap. Clogs was a bit ill at ease as I don't think he'd ever before been outnumbered by so many of our Ethnic Minority brethren shall I say and was quickly looking for an excuse to return to the sanctity of the Bowling Club. His excuse was shortly to come, as having found a Greasy Spoon Cafe, he took one look at his mug of tea which was encrusted with what looked like a Motorway Map of the U.K and he was off, before waiting to see what his bacon bap was going to look like on the plate.
Clogs had great success in his bowling career. He won the Coast League Division 3 Aggregates when Beaumaris entered the league in the late 80's, won many a Doubles Competition with Barry Harris and later another great friend of his Garry Healey of the Bangor City Bowling Club. He also, for one season only, played for Bangor in 1996, I believe, to help them win the Division 1 title. But most of his greatest achievements came when he became a Veteran. He won the Welsh Veterans Mens Title at the Llay Bowling Club in Wrexham in 2007 and at around that time also played many times for the Welsh Veterans Team, under the stewardship of the now Patron of the Welsh CGBA, John Percy. He also of course played many times for the Gwynedd Parks and Mon Menai Federation of Crown Green Bowls teams and the Gwynedd Veterans team. He was also of a member of the Beaumaris A team that won the Coast League Division 1 title twice in the early 00's and the Beaumaris team that won the Gwynedd Knockout Cup twice at around the same time v Deganwy at Blaenau and Llanrwst at Llanfair P.G.
Clogs to many over his years in bowls, due to his at times, gruff and bullish exterior was a bit like "Marmite", meaning you instantly liked him or instantly didn't like him. But under that tough exterior there was a man with a good and generous heart, who if he classed you as a true friend, would do anything for you. Besides people like myself, Mike, Barry, Derek, Andrew, Hefin, D T and many others from Beaumaris and other Clubs, you could often see that side of him and for that reason, wherever I travelled over the last few years in my capacity as Deputy President and President of the Welsh CGBA, the first thing people would ask me was, "How's Clogs".
One such close friend in later years was Andy Owens who joined the Club from playing with Bangor City for many years in the early 00's. They became, what I would describe as a marriage made in heaven. They not only worked relentlessly together to improve the bowling green, when Clogs was our Green Keeper for many years,but Clogs also became Andy's unofficial "roadie" when he set up his new King Kong Disco, helping him to move equipment in and out of venues. Mind you payment was generally not in cash, but via drinking sessions that lasted till last orders were called or beyond.
Well that's it I suppose, my 35 years of memories of Clogs laid out into a few words. We will all have memories of him and am sure in years to come will share them over a pint of two. It was indeed a fortunate turn of fate, when the Great Orm got him to play bowls in the early 80's, for without that many of us would never have been privileged to have known him.
Over the last few years I had visited him often at his house and when he felt up to it, took him along to various greens to spectate. But over the last nine months it was very very sad to see his deterioration, from a once proud, larger than life character within the Beaumaris Town Community and our bowling world, to a man slowly succumbing to what was a very cruel illness. In the most part he kept his good humour, often saying "Mathias I'll be back playing bowls next year". It was nice to hear that a number of his old bowling friends had over the Winter visited him at the house as I think that reminded him of much happier times. His wife Brenda was also a marvellous caring and loving Nurse to him over the last few years, insisting on bringing him home from Ysbyty Gwynedd two weeks ago inorder that he could spend his last days close to all his loving family. As the Great Orm said to me last week, Mathias we are all unfortunately getting to the top of the ladder. Clogs I thought, at the age of 75,would have had a few more rungs to go up, but in the end it was a blessing that he reached the last rung and left us when he did.
So again my deepest condolences go to his widow Brenda, his children Mathew and Emma (and husband Russell), his Grandchildren Nathan, Jacob,Libby and Joseph, as well as all his extended family in and around his beloved Caernarfon.
R.I.P Kenneth Parry or just plain "Clogs" xx