Ffrindiau o Ganada yn Gwau i Gadw'r Iaith Gymraeg yn Fyw ym Mhatagonia

Tua diwedd 2019, cafodd Jeremy Wood, prif godwr arian Ysgol y Cwm, ei wahodd i siarad am yr ysgol yng Ngŵyl Cymru Gogledd America, a gynhaliwyd  yn Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mae’r ŵyl yn ddigwyddiad blynyddol sy’n rhoi cyfle i Gymdeithasau Cymreig  yr Unol Daleithiau a Chanada i ddod at ei gilydd am ychydig ddyddiau i gael cyflenwad swmpus o iaith, diwylliant ac, wrth gwrs, hwyl!
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Roedd Jeremy ar ei ffordd i Efrog Newydd er mwyn hedfan yn ôl i Esquel, pan gafodd wahoddiad gan Tim Mark, hen ffrind i Batagonia, i roi'r un sgwrs i Gymdeithas Cymry Ottawa yng Nghanada. Rhoddodd Jeremy sgwrs yn Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Westminster, gan redeg fwy nag awr dros ei amser penodedig! Ond, fe arhosodd pawb, gan ofyn llawer o gwestiynau ar y diwedd. Roedd rhywun hyd yn oed wedi dianc o ddosbarth dawnsio llinell yn y gampfa drws nesaf, er mwyn gwylio'r cyflwyniad!

Mae'r profiad ym Milwaukee ac Ottawa, a'r adborth a gafwyd, yn dangos bod y Wladfa, a'r ffaith fod yr iaith Gymraeg yn parhau yno hyd heddiw, yn dal i fod o ddiddordeb sylweddol mewn cymunedau Cymreig ledled y Byd.

Roedd yno ambell i syrpréis diddorol iawn yn y cyfarfod yn Ottawa. Cafodd Jeremy ei gyfarch gan Chris Smart, oedd yn gwisgo het wlân drwsiadus a deniadol iawn, wedi'i gwau'n hyfryd mewn coch, gwyrdd a gwyn ac yn gyforiog o ddreigiau cochion. Nid het wlanog gyffredin mohoni, fel y rhai y gwelwch mewn siopau swfenîr ledled Cymru, ond dyluniad newydd – tebyg iawn i orchudd wy wedi’i ferwi, neu het ‘beanie’ fach.

Roedd gan Chris lun yr oedd Jeremy yn gyfarwydd iawn ag ef, sef llun a dynnwyd yn 1890 o'r 48 o deithwyr y Mimosa a oedd yn dal ym Mhatagonia 25 mlynedd yn ddiweddarach. Tynnodd sylw at y ffaith ei fod yn perthyn i ddau ddyn ifanc yn y llun, y brodyr Austin, a ddaeth i Batagonia o wyrcws ym Merthyr Tudful. Trwy gyd-ddigwyddiad, roedd Jeremy eisoes wedi bod yn gohebu â ffrind o Gymru am yr Austins ac roedd cefnder i wraig Jeremy, sydd wedi’i lleoli yn Nhrelew, yn ymchwilio i’r teulu wrth ymchwilio ar gyfer llyfr yr oedd yn ei ysgrifennu. Mae'r tri ohonynt bellach yn trafod ac yn cyfnewid gwybodaeth.

Y syrpreis nesaf oedd cael cwrdd ag Anthony Kellett, a oedd yn awyddus i noddi ystafell ddosbarth yn Ysgol y Cwm er cof am ei rieni, y Fonesig Elaine Kellett-Bowman a Charles Norman Kellett. Ar ôl trafodaethau gyda llywodraethwyr yr ysgol, fe benderfynwyd y byddai rhieni Anthony yn ymgeiswyr teilwng iawn ar gyfer prosiect coffa i blant yr ysgol. Dyluniwyd plac arbennig a, chyn gynted ag y bydd yr ysgol yn ailagor wedi’r clo mawr, bydd disgyblion y dosbarth noddedig yn cychwyn ar eu prosiect arbennig.

Ond roedd yna ambell i syrpreis ar ôl. Cafodd yr ‘Het Gymreig’ ei gwerthu mewn arwerthiant yn un o gyfarfodydd Cymdeithas Cymry Ottawa a chyflwynwyd yr arian a godwyd i Ysgol y Cwm. Fe wnaeth y gymdeithas gyfateb y swm a godwyd yn yr ocsiwn gyda rhodd arall. Wrth gwrs, daeth yr het yn eitem i’w thrysori. Cafodd ei gwau yn yr arddull mosäig gan Georgina Smart ar gyfer ei gwr Chris, pan oedd hi'n cystadlu mewn cystadleuaeth Urdd Gwau Ottawa.  Mae hi bellach wedi creu a gwerthu rhagor o hetiau, ac wedi codi mwy fyth o arian i Ysgol y Cwm. Mae'r gronfa hetiau bellach wedi cyrraedd dros 600 o ddoleri ac mae pawb yn Ysgol y Cwm yn ddiolchgar dros ben i holl aelodau Cymdeithas Cymry Ottawa am eu haelioni.

Os hoffech chi wneud cynnig ar un o'r hetiau hyn yna cysylltwch â'r ysgol, cynigwch bris a byddwn yn ceisio perswadio Gina i greu un arall!

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Canadians Knit to Keep the Welsh Language Alive in Patagonia

​Late in 2019, Jeremy Wood, the chief fundraiser for Ysgol y Cwm, was invited to talk about the school at the North American Festival of Wales, held in 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This is the annual event where the numerous Welsh Societies in the United States and Canada get together for a few days for a heavy injection of Welsh language, culture and fun. 
 
On his way to New York to fly back to Esquel, Jeremy was invited by Tim Mark, an old friend of Patagonia, to give the same talk to the Welsh Society of Ottawa in Canada (Cymdeithas Cymry Ottawa). They duly gathered at the Westminster Presbyterian Church and Jeremy gave his talk, overrunning his allotted time by at least an hour! But, everybody stayed and asked many questions at the end. They even had someone escape from the line-dancing class being held in the gymnasium next door to watch the presentation!
 
The experience in, and feedback from, both Milwaukee and Ottawa show that both Patagonia, and the continued use of the Welsh language in Patagonia, are still of considerable interest and fascination to Welsh communities around the World.
 
The meeting in Ottawa had some interesting surprises. Jeremy was greeted by Chris Smart wearing a very natty woollen hat, beautifully knitted in red, green and white and replete with Welsh dragons. It wasn’t the normal, run of the mill Welsh woolly hat you see in souvenir shops throughout Wales, but a new design, reminiscent of both a boiled egg cover and a mini-beanie. Chris was carrying a photo with which Jeremy was very familiar, the 1890 photo of the 48 passengers from the Mimosa who were still in Patagonia after 25 years. He pointed out that he was related to two young men in the photo, the Austin brothers, who came to Patagonia from a workhouse in Merthyr Tydfil. Interestingly, Jeremy had already been corresponding with a friend from Wales about the Austins and a cousin of Jeremy’s wife, based in Trelew, was researching the family for a book. All three parties are now exchanging valuable information.
 
The next surprise was meeting Anthony Kellett, who wanted to explore possibilities of sponsoring a classroom in Ysgol y Cwm in memory of his parents, Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman and Charles Norman Kellett. After discussions with the board of the school, it was felt that Anthony’s parents would be most suitable candidates for a remembrance project at the school. A special plaque has been designed and, as soon as the school reopens from its lockdown, the sponsored class pupils will embark on their special project.
 
But there were still a couple of surprises left in store. The aforementioned hat, now known as “Yr Het Gymreig”, was auctioned at a subsequent meeting of Cymdeithas Cymry Ottawa and the funds raised presented to Ysgol y Cwm. The society generously matched the sum raised in the auction with a further donation. Of course, the hat became a collector’s piece. It was the creation of Georgina Smart, who made it for her husband, Chris, when she was competing in an Ottawa Knitting Guild competition featuring a skill called Mosaic Knitting. She has now created and sold a couple more, raising even more funds for Ysgol y Cwm. The hat fund now stands at over 600 dollars and all at Ysgol y Cwm are enormously grateful to all the members of Cymdeithas Cymry Ottawa for their generosity.
 
If you would like to bid on one of these hats, please send your proposed bid to us here at the school and we will try and persuade Gina to create another!


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