Visit To A Real Gypsy Camp

Photo of Lord Gordon Parry courtesy of Wikipedia (in public domain).

In the late Seventies I had the good fortune to be a guest of the country of Wales along with my family. Lord Gordon Parry and Lady Glenys Parry were our hosts and great one at that. Our friendship came as a result of a twinning situation between Pembroke, Wales and Pembroke, Canada. We hosted Lord Parry and his friends while they were visiting Canada, and we were invited to go to Wales for a ten day holiday at a later date.

Part of our visit was a tour through a Gypsy encampment to meet singer Tom Jones' mother, who lived there. The tour began with all of us piling in our twelve passenger van and heading to this abandoned gravel pit. As we entered the gravel pit we passed what seemed like hundreds of huge lorries. These trucks were used by the Gypsy men who scavenged about the area and picked up garbage.

Before entering this area Lord Parry explained that this area was allocated as the home for Gypsies. The gravel pit was several miles long and housed several thousand people who were called Gypsies. He explained that they did not have full citizenship but had lived there for years. The further in the gravel pit you lived, the higher you were up in the hierarchy of the Gypsy royalty. He said that it would not be wise to enter this area without permission. Everyone here lived in what we call house trailers on wheels which could be moved at a moments notice.

Many of these trailers were beautiful and decorated in the traditional style of Gypsy lore. Before we actually entered the gravel pit, Lord Parry assured the people of his intentions of showing his Canadian friends the camp and meeting Mrs. Jones. That was not her actual name but she was Tom Jones' mother. We travelled a long distance before stopping in front of this particularly beautiful and ornate trailer. Mrs. Jones came out and greeted Lord Parry warmly and he introduced us to this celebrity.

We retreated from this camp and I was astonished to find that there was a double standard for Gypsies. Lord Parry was an advocate for the Gypsies and was loved by them in return. He exercised what influence he had to get them the right to vote and have regular citizenship. He was only partially successful. We as Canadians were shocked but understood the dilemma under which these people lived for centuries. The overt prejudice was apparent but they still prevailed in keeping some semblance of dignity and self worth. Their music is unique and their spirit unbroken as they continue to live the Gypsy life.

This was another experience which helped shape my value system of believing in the equality and value of each unique individual who shares the earth.

Gypsies

Image courtesy of Documentary Educational Resources

We are reading a great deal about Roma Gypsies these days and not without some concern. These people were a tortured group throughout history and Hitler slaughtered over half a million along with the Jews, gays and "imperfect people" who offended his concept of a master race.

I don't really know if my knowledge of the true Gypsies in my home in Cape Breton is all factual by actually observing these people or a combination of seeing and hearing about them blended into a memory which is real to me. As a young boy Gypsies frequented our part of the country.They appeared on the commons in our town several times a year. They drifted in at night time and set up camp. Horse drawn houses on wheels, pulled by two or four draft animals was an impressive sight. Their little homes were ornate and decorated with carvings and embossed with shiny metal and brightly coloured spokes in the wheels. Reds, yellows and blues were the dominant colours used and they made a most engaging sight.

When the Gypsies came to town my mother told us to stay away from their camps where open fires brightened the evening sky and music from the violin, guitar and the lute made it impossible to conform to that demand. The commons was a short distance from our home and right close to the poor house. A blind pig operated openly at the crossing and was frequented by the elite of our town. A good setting for the Gypsies.

To my knowledge the Gypsies were demonized as thieves, fortune tellers and people who could not be trusted. I never found this to be true but I was young and taken in by the excitement of sneaking up close to their camp and watching with big eyes the feast of colourful going on's. They were tinkers and made silver jewellery and repaired pots and pans and sold a variety of goods to anyone who came by.

It seemed they left our town as they came, in the middle of the night and silently. There were many tales of missing children, not to say horses and livestock after they departed. All this was part of the lore surrounding these hapless folk without a home and offered a place in various towns for a limited time with restricted movements. I shall tell of a visit to a real Gypsy camp in a later blog. Gypsies are one of the most persecuted groups of people in the world and should hold our attention.

Ted

When you hear the word Kennedy you think of wealth, power, greed, family and most of all, service. Ted was the greatest of them all and if you take away the negatives, you have a man who left his mark on the USA and the world. People often use the word liberal in a sense not understood. Ted was a true liberal and reached out way beyond the American way to a course of action to right a litany of injustices.

He and his brothers used the power of the White House to bring about social justice in regard to racial equality. Jack and Bobby gave their life for the cause and Ted came along and for decades he went the extra mile in changing minds and outdated thinking to see the racial question resolved. The changes were not immediate but Ted took every opportunity to push his agenda.

On the world scene he was deeply involved in South African politics and was a prime mover in helping Mandela receive his freedom and become a world leader and spokesman for racial equality everywhere.

Ted voted against the war in Iraq. This was a risky and brave move for a cause he describes as unconscionable. He was vindicated later when the facts were known to the world and suffered no political downside.

Perhaps Ted's most personal and successful triumph was in his beloved Ireland. He regularly met with the leadership of Northern and South Ireland attempting to bridge that gap of ignorance and religious prejudice which ripped the gut out of this nation. He could have been the flag bearer when the Catholic and Protestant women of Northern Ireland marched down the streets of Belfast saying that enough was enough.

A blog cannot fairly describe the life of a man like Ted but my thoughts just skimmed the many great achievements of Mr. Edward Kennedy.