Month: March 2014

Anne Collins
1941    2013

Tributes have been paid to former Plaid Cymru councillor Anne Collins, a former mayor of Caerphilly County Borough Council; Mrs Collins was born in Senghenydd.

Her Penyrheol ward colleague Lindsay Whittle, who is also the Assembly Member for South Wales East, paid tribute this to Anne.

Lindsay Whittle said: “Anne was a dear friend who worked tirelessly for the community she was proud to represent since 1985.
“She was loved by everyone and Cwm Ifor Primary School, where she was a past chair of governors, is in shock.
“Anne was also chair of Caerphilly Committee of Save The Children and was in the midst of organising a major fundraising concert in what is its 60th anniversary year.”
Anne has been a supporter of the charity since 1969 and took over the chair last year.
Lindsay Whittle added: “I will miss Anne enormously and my thoughts go out to her family at this difficult time. She was a wonderful person.”
 

Colin Mann, leader of the Plaid group on the council, said: “Anne was a lovely lady who treated everyone as a friend.  She was a very valuable colleague and was respected by all elected members and officers at the council.
“She had given huge service to her community over many years and the respect that she had earned in her community was shown by the fact that she was always re-elected to represent the people of Penyrheol, Trecenydd and Energlyn.
Ann was a strong supporter of Plaid Cymru Credit Union & a loyal member of the Plaid Cymru History Society.

“Anne did a wonderful job representing the county borough in the years that she was Mayor and Deputy Mayor. She will be sorely missed by everyone, by her Plaid Cymru colleagues, by her many friends in the Caerffili and District Twinning Association, both here and in Brittany and by all those in the many organisations she had worked with over the years.”

 Anne leaves a son, John. Her late husband, Cyril was also a former Plaid Cymru councillor and her sister Margaret Sargent, represents Penyrheol ward on the council.

TRIBUTES TO PENARTH DIPLOMAT WHO FORGED LINKS BETWEEN WALES AND LITHUANIA

Tributes have been paid to a long-standing Plaid Cymru member, who was the Honorary Consul for Lithuania in Wales.

Anthony Packer, of Salisbury Avenue, Penarth, died at the age of 74 after battling prostate cancer at the Cardiff and Vale Marie Curie Hospice.  St Joseph’s Church was packed for the funeral mass, and the congregation heard of his many achievements, interspersed with some amusing anecdotes.

A man of many academic achievements, a loving family man and an entertaining raconteur, he had a host of friends and touched many lives.  He was gregarious, happy to engage anyone in conversation and happy to argue that ‘black was blue’ – with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

One of his major achievements was to build links between Wales and Lithuania, helping to create an international identity for Wales in Europe.  He believed he could advance the cause of Wales by pursuing recognition of Wales, its language, culture and qualities and as a place in which to do business at an international level.  In particular, he sought to develop close links between Wales and the Baltic States, and he was one of the founding members of the Baltic Society in Wales in 1991.

Six weeks before Lithuania’s unilateral declaration of independence, he led a delegation to the country (repeated in 1993) to help the authorities de-Sovietise the country’s education system and other institutions.

Though the country was still under the control of Moscow, he visited the headquarters of Sajudis, the movement for an independent Lithuania, with a message of support from Plaid Cymru.  It was a simple note of democratic regard and support for the movement’s objectives, and was the first such message to come from any British political party.

It was this act of disobedience that led to his initial acquaintance and subsequent friendship with Vytautas Landsbergis, the first President of an independent Lithuania.

During his time as Honorary Consul, he forged strong links between universities in Wales and Lithuania as well as organising the visit of Vytautas Landsbergis, the first post-Soviet President of independent Lithuania, to Wales.

He persuaded Landsbergis to publish his memoirs, helping to translate, edit and publish them.  He was recently presented with the Order of the Diplomatic Star, the highest distinction in the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service, in recognition of his work.

Anthony Packer was born in Caerleon in 1939 and raised in Hengoed. He was educated at grammar schools in Pengam and Barry and studied at the University of Wales College, Cardiff (History), CuddesdonCollege, Oxford (Theology), the London School of Economics (Social Administration) and the University of Liverpool (Psychiatric Social Work).

He began his career in London as a teacher before beginning work as a psychiatric social worker in local hospitals.  He later became the Chief Administrator for the Family Welfare Association and Chief Trainer for child counselling at the world renowned Tavistock Clinic in London.

Wanting to return to Wales with his wife, Ann, and his three children (later to become four), he took up a lectureship at CardiffUniversity.  He initially split his time between the Department of Social Work and the Department of Education before moving on a full-time basis to the Department of Education from 1984 through to his retirement in 2001.

He taught himself Welsh and helped to advance its use in education and social work throughout Wales.

He was for four years the joint editor of the academic periodical, The Welsh Journal of Education, and for two years the chairman of the Department of Economics and Sociology of the Welsh Guild of Graduates.

Anthony served as the Treasurer of the International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling (IAC-IRTAC) from 1983 to 1992.  He was also a trustee of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs and the Treasurer and Deputy Chairman of the United Nations Association in Wales.  He also represented the Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff on the steering committee of the UK 3 Faiths Forum.

He was President of the Consular Association for Wales and its Secretary for six years, presiding over its significant expansion and the advancement of its aims towards the active promotion of business and cultural links between Wales and the countries represented by its 29 members.

Anthony Packer is survived by his wife Ann, his mother, Gleeda, children Rhiannon, David, Cerian and Tomos, daughters-in-law Frida and Sasha, sons-in-law Tony and Geraint, and grandchildren Kajsa, Oliver, Tomos, Elis, Alys, Annest, William and Steffan.