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CMVC - Member of the Month
May 2009 - Elfryn Humphreys
First Bass Elfryn has been with the choir for nearly 30 years. He is in his 10th year as Chairman of CMVC, and is
shown below with his wife Mary.
BIRTHPLACE:
I was born in Caerau, a coal mining community at the head of the Llynfi Valley. This was a soccer playing area. Rugby was 2 miles down the valley in Maesteg. As I went to Maesteg Grammar School I ended up playing both, rugby for the school on a Saturday morning and soccer for the local junior side in the afternoon. I still enjoy watching both sports.
PERSONAL BACKGROUND:
I was called up for National Service and served as a ground radar fitter - which was a useful basis to continue with an electronics and communications career. Initially with Mullards near Croydon making valves, then as a civilian at an RAF Repair Centre near Chester repairing airborne radio and radar equipment, before moving to Westinghouse, Chippenham in 1963 to work on remote control systems for Railway Signalling, Water, Gas and Electricity authorities.
SINGING BACKGROUND:
I joined the choir in 1980 having been persuaded by a friend Bill Merrylees to come along and give it a try. Bill dropped out after a few years but I’ve just carried on. I became Treasurer in 1993 and then Chairman in 1999.
Previous choir experience had been in the school choir in a concert production of the Magic Flute.
MEMORABLE CHOIR MOMENTS:
Three memorable choir events have been:
- the World Choir concert in Cardiff with the massed choirs (which other choir members have also commented on);
- a concert in Eddington Priory Church, a lovely place in which to sing coupled with the drive to Eddington through the Wiltshire countryside on a beautiful summer evening; and
- the first time we went to La Flèche, when we sang in the Chapel of the Prytanne Military Academy.
Apart from these events, I still very much enjoy all the choir concerts and the fact that so many are fund raising events to benefit the various charities, to say nothing of enjoying the choir company and after concert refreshments.
FAVOURITE CHOIR SONGS:
As for favourite choir songs, I have no particular favourite but several come to mind: Gwahoddiad, Myfanwy, Kings of Swing, Priests Chorus, All in the April Evening.
MUSICAL LIKES:
My musical likes are the Musical Shows, Operas and Light Operas, Jazz music and Male Voice choral music - but preferably live at the theatre/local venues or watching on TV/Cinema rather than just listening to them.
ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE CHOIR:
Outside the choir I am a member of various Chippenham clubs and organisations, namely the Rugby Club, Probus Club, U3A Art Group, Allotment and Garden Society, and Central Methodist Church.