I was born on 18 March 1938 at Glossop Terrace Maternity Hospital, to Gladys and Cyril Bevan, late of 35 Mayfield Avenue, Victoria Park, Cardiff.

After a period of time, following my birth, my parents noticed that I was having great difficulty in walking. In addition, I was not using my left hand to pick up things. The Doctors' Medical Board investigated this matter, and the results showed that I had been born with cerebral palsy.

At about two and a half years old, I had operations on both my legs, to straighten my feet, which were turning inwards. This operation took place at the Prince of Wales Orthopaedic Hospital in the Parade, Cardiff, under the guidance of Doctors Parker and Dilwyn Evans, two of the finest orthopaedic surgeons in the country. As a result of the operation I was left with a weakness on my left side.

I was cared for by my devoted Christian parents. The doctors had fitted callipers on my leg, and I continued to make visits to the hospital at regular intervals for check-ups and further treatment until the age of five. There were no benefits available in those days, as there are today.

The War Years from 1939 until 1945

The war years were very trying and difficult for everybody. I was born in 1938, the year before war broke out. Because of my disability, my mother would have to take me to the hospital regularly. I was in a push chair, and when we got as far as Canton Bridge, I would begin to scream my head off. I knew I was on the way to the Prince of Wales Hospital, in the Parade!

The war years were very bleak to say the least. Many times the bombs would be dropping and the sirens would be going off all over Cardiff. My mother would have to carry me from the house to the air raid shelter at the bottom of the garden. Sometimes we sat under the stairs for shelter. At the time, my father was away, serving his king and country in the Non-combative Corps stationed in Lancaster. This meant that my mother was responsible for all the care I needed.

Starting school

At the age of five, in March 1943, I started school at Lansdowne Infants School in Canton. I then went on to the Junior School until the age of eleven.

I got on very well with the other pupils and staff. I continued to visit the hospital on a weekly basis, for treatment and therapy. An ambulance would pick me up and return me at the end of the day. Having missed so much of my schooling, I did not pass the eleven plus exam which would have enabled me to go to the Grammar School. Instead, I went to Radnor Road Secondary Modern School, again in Canton. I continued my education there, until I left at fifteen years of age, to start work. During my time at Radnor Road School, I travelled to and fro by bicycle, which gave me a lot of valuable exercise.

Starting work

In March 1953, I had left school and started work. I no longer had to visit the hospital for treatment, and the callipers were off my leg.

I went to the Employment Exchange in Westgate Street, and they arranged two interviews, the first with Mr Walter John, the Area Manager for Wales for the Automobile Association, at 24 Cathedral Road. I went for the interview, but the job entailed lifting boxes of AA membership badges. Because of my disability, this was beyond me.

The second interview was on March 17, with James Howell & Co, the large store in St Mary Street, which included a garage as well as its other departments. The position I was interviewed for was as a post boy, sorting incoming mail for the management and buyers of individual departments within the store, and then sending out their post at the end of the day. I was offered the post and started work with the company on Thursday 8 April 1953. I stayed with them for over forty years.

After working as a post boy for three years, I was transferred to the garage accounts, where I worked for the next eighteen months. I was then transferred to the Baker's Row and Charles Street division of the wholesale department, dealing with BMC cars, better known today as the Rover Motor Company, which in ercent years has gone into liquidation.

I started learning to drive whilst I was working for Howells. After two years riding motor scooters, the Honda 50 and 70 models, I started learning to drive a motor car with automatic transmission. I passed my driving test on both these vehicles.

After working for Howells for some years, the garage business separated from the main store, and was known as Howells Motors Ltd., based ay 501 Newport Road, Cardiff. At the time, seven other branches in South Wales were part of the organisation, with thirty-eight outlets in the Cardiff area, twenty in the Swansea area and eight outlets in Newport, all of which came under our control. This meant that as a Wholesale Department, we were dealing with all aspects of wholesaling in the following ways:-

a. Dealing with Rover/Jaguar/Vanden Plas, plus light vans and coaches, also heavy commercial vehicles. I had to deal with factories in connection with personal ordering, production line and despatching.

b. Dealing with delivery companies with regard to the despatching of new cars and light vans and coaches, as well as heavy commercial vehicles from the various factories.

c. Stock controlling of vehicles within the branches and dealer outlets and delivery companies on a two weekly or monthly basis.

d. Stock-controlling of vehicles within the branches, dealer outlets and delivery companies, dealing with factory personnel on site on a three monthly basis.

I held this position of wholesale manager until January, 1993, when because of re-organisation within the Rover car franchise, and other franchises, resulting in garages closing down, I was made redundant. Nevertheless, within one week of leaving Howells, I found employment with Three Arches Garages Ltd. as their office manager, dealing with all aspects of the petrol, service and parts accounts. I also had to deal with the ordering and selling of new and used vehicles. I was with this company until it was sold in August 1999.

Six months later, in January 2000, I retired. I had worked for forty-six years, and thirty-three of those were on 24/7 call out duties, with no extra pay, as I was a salaried member of staff. I did have a company car, and the job entailed many hours of travelling in addition to doing the normal work.

Start of the Cardiff and District Spastic Society

This Society (now known as Scope) was formed well over fifty years ago, in the vicinity of Victoria Park, Cardiff. The men involved at that time were Philip Northam, who worked for the South Wales Electricity Board, Tom Thomas, who worked for Wiggins Teape (Ely Paper Mills), and my father, Cyril Bevan, who was a master builder. These men were at that time living in the vicinity of Victoria Park, and would encourage their sons who suffered from cerebral palsy to go out and play together in Victoria Park. Like all boys, they enjoyed kicking a football.

Having watched their sons playing together, the fathers decided to make enquiries to Cardiff City Council and other parties whether something could be done to help their sons and others like them. As a result of many hours spent researching, and expending much energy and time on the subject, the Society was formed. There was much discussion on matters such as fund-raising, charity events, Christmas parties, etc., and as a result Craig-y-Parc Spastic School in Pentyrch, on the outskirts of Cardiff, was opened, in September 1955, with Mrs Kearslake as Head Teacher.

The three men who had the vision for Craig-y-Parc, and who saw it come into being, are no longer with us. They, and two of the three sons, have all passed away, and I am the only survivor of that group.

In the year 2005, Craig-y-Parc celebrated fifty years of service, dealing with children who are the unfortunate victims of cerebral palsy. What an achievement!

Together with my wife, I have had the pleasure of returning to visit Craig-y-Parc. In October 2005, I met the present Head Teacher, Mr Neil Harvey, and some of the staff, who showed me around the grounds. Although today I am not an active member of the Society, I am greatly impressed by the work that has been accomplished over the past fifty years, and I admire the time and patience they have spent with the children over the years.

A point to note:- Howells Motors had the pleasure of selling the Society its first vehicle in 1953. This was handed over to the President of the Society, Lord Tonypandy, (formerly MP George Thomas, a well loved Speaker of the House of Commons). The presentation took place on a very wet afternoon in Windsor Place in Cardiff.

Family Life: Childhood, teenage and married life, to the present day

I was brought up in a Christian home, and although I suffered from cerebral palsy, I must say that I had wonderful caring parents, who helped me through thick and thin, trying to help me mix with other children, despite my disability.

During my early school days and early working years I was very active in all sports, including football, rugby, cricket and tennis. In fact, I played tennis for my Secondary Modern School team, and enjoyed every moment of it Today, although I do not participate in sport because of my age, I do like to watch it, (excluding boxing and wrestling), but including tennis, which was, and still is, a big part of me.

In my early years, I attended a little Gospel Hall in the Ely area of Cardiff. This was opened in 1926 by my parents, together with another couple of long-standing friends of our family. For many years we would travel from Victoria Park to Ely three times on a Sunday, and once or twice during the week for various meetings. At the time, there were twelve hundred children on the Sunday School register, with a weekly attendance of a thousand children on a Sunday afternoon.

I took a commitment of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ many years ago, and today I attend a very good, flourishing Pentecostal Church in Cardiff, the City Temple. My wife Barbara and I are very involved in helping out in various ways, both within and outside the church.

On Saturday, May 21, 1966, I was married to Barbara Kelly from Cardiff. We have two grown-up children. The older child, Paul, is married to Dorothy - they have two girls and live in Cardiff. We also have a daughter, Susan, who is married to Wayne. They have two boys and live in Swansea. Our children are in full-time employment, and serving their communities. They have no form of disability whatsoever.

In 2006, Barbara and I celebrated our Ruby Wedding anniversary - forty years.

Retirement - End of an era

Question:- What is Retirement?
Answer:- No retirement for this guy!

Since retiring in January 2000, I have found many ways of being of service, despite having a disability. Some of these are visiting the sick and elderly, both within the church and outside and looking after our grand-children to help their parents. We collect the grand-children from school two or three times a week, both in Cardiff and Swansea. We also pick up elderly folk who need transport to various places.

In addition, Barbara and I help with the catering which is often needed at functions within our church, such as catering for the bereaved families after a funeral. I also help with the organisation and stewarding at such events. I attend church twice on Sundays, and also a Bible Study on Thursday evening. I drive ministers around the area when they have speaking engagements at other churches, and help out with financial accounts at the church on Tuesday or Wednesday.

In addition, I like to keep up with work colleagues and friends who have retired themselves, either by telephone or with a visit. Whenever I am out and meet a person with a disability, I try to make conversation with them, and encourage them.

Since retiring, Barbara and I have had the pleasure of visiting many places, both in this country and further a field. We have been to Spain, Cyprus, Egypt, Singapore, Perth and Sydney in Australia and also on a sixteen day cruise around the Caribbean Islands. We have also cruised to Alaska and the Canadian Rockies, and recently visited Orlando, meeting up with old friends.

We have been to Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallin, Germany, Copenhagen and Helsingborg in Sweden.

I look forward to the future, if I am spared for a little longer, but at the same time I slow up just a little!

Footnote

I have led a very active life, in spite of my disability. I can walk a hundred yards, even though I am restricted in other ways. All my voluntary work has been done at my own expense, and I would like to see tighter controls on people who obtain allowances they are not really entitled to. A lot of people who make claims could well do work in some capacity or other.

What has kept me going is my positive attitude towards life in general, and my personal faith in God, and all this in spite of having had treatment for prostate cancer at Velindre Hospital in Cardiff during the last few years.

Graham Bevan - Cardiff - 2006

This story was previously published on the website of the disability charity Scope