John Davies

John Davies, the youngest of six children, was born in the village of Cwmafan near Port Talbot, South Wales in 1948.He has been happily married to Adrianne since 1971 and their son, Ian, was born in 1979. 2010 saw the birth of grandaughter Freya to Ian and his wife Tina.

John attended Glanafan Grammar school then worked as an industrial chemist for the Steel Company of Wales before spending more than thirty years in a similar capacity with BP Chemicals at Baglan Bay. He retired in 2002.

Sport has played a major part in his life. At various times he has played rugby, soccer, squash and cricket. Since 1983 he has been a member of Port Talbot Harriers and has been Welsh Masters javelin champion in his age group since 1998. He is currently treasurer of Port Talbot Harriers and president of Welsh Masters Athletics.

John was influenced by the industrial nature of South Wales to pursue a scientific path. He enjoys reading, writing, all types of music and plays guitar. On retiring he decided to concentrate on these favourite hobbies. His current project is surfing instrumental music with the band "Marconi Beach Sound".

He has written many songs, poems and short stories and also three books. The first was a Welsh language biography of singer/songwriter Geraint Griffiths called "Hewl". The second, "Chester to Chepstow", was the account of his 600 mile cycle trip around the coastline of Wales. The third, "Lyrics and Limericks", is a light hearted look at the relationship between song lyrics and poetry.

He is currently working on a book of poetry aimed at 9-12 year olds with the emphasis on humour.