Oh Boyo, it's a 100th birthday surprise! (From South Wales Guardian)

Oh Boyo, it's a 100th birthday surprise!

9:00am Thursday 25th October 2012 in News

THE chairwoman of Carmarthenshire county council has visited retired Gorslas publican Gomer Jones on his 100th birthday.

Cllr Siân Thomas, of Penygroes, visited Mr Jones at his Carmarthen flat.

Mr Jones, known to his friends as ‘Boyo’, was brought up in Gorslas at the Union Tavern public house, which was demolished a number of years ago.

After they got married in 1946, he and his wife took on the tenancy of the Farmers Arms, Cross Hands, where the family lived for 17 years.

In 1964 they moved to Carmarthen where Mr Jones took over the tenancy of the Weaver’s Arms public house in Water Street.

He retired at 65 shortly after his wife died. He later re-married but his second wife passed away a few years later.

His son Percy Jones, senior principal officer (elderly) with the Social Care and Housing Department until his retirement 10 years ago, thanked Cllr Thomas for visiting.

He said: “Dad loves chatting about people he knew in the Gorslas/Penygroes area and he really enjoyed the time you spent with him.

“We thought he would have become tired during the day but he was still smiling and enjoying every minute of his 100th birthday, well into the early evening.”

Cllr Thomas said: “It was lovely to have the chance to wish Mr Jones a happy birthday and to have a chat about the local area.”