I worked my notice at Glanusk estate and the time came round for me to start my new Job. The job was on one of those Job Creation schemes that had been set up to help with the unemployment at that time in the mid seventies. I was to fell and clear trees and shrub along stretches of the Mon-Brecon canal, This was a contour canal dug out running From Brecon down to Pontypool, there it was joined by the Crumlin canal and at one time would have ru into Newport for the docks. A few years earlier there ha been a very serious breach in the tow path side of Mon- Brecon canal at Llanfoist. The escaping water flooding and swamping several homes and cars. For a long time a very large section of the canal was dry closed off. When the canals were first constructed, way back. They were well thought out and really cleverly engineered. Locks, to raise and lower water levels, Over flows and top up points to kept the water at a constant level plus prevent flooding, Bridges and crossing places. But one very important jet small part. Blocking points. These were spread out along the length of every canal ever built. Usually under a bridge where stone wall were built up between the Tow path and opposite bank. In these walls the was a built in recess from top to bottom, so that strong planks of wood could be dropped in and wedged to form a water tight barrier, So for a good length either side of the Llanfoist breach,( the very large hole in the canal bank. ) These boards had been in place, holding the water back both sides. No boat could go from below or above this sealed off section for a good many years. So the job I was starting on envolved removing any dangerous and unwanted trees and shrubs that were overgrowing or in the way of the construction work to repair and restore the entire canal, so that boats would be able to go from Brecon again right through to Pontypool basin. When On my first day I got to the works yard in Govilon, there we had to go to a stores shed for wet weather clothes and boats or wellingtons. We queued in line waiting our turn. In front of me was a young lad, Not very tall but like a lot of the welsh lads very stocky. His turn and at the door of the stores, the Storeman asked, "foot size," this lad, replied, " size 4", Storeman, " your Joking, well here`s a couple of quid, pop down to Mothercare, they sell kids red wellis there." that caused a laugh. We got kitted up. I had to sort out Chainsaws and others were issued with axes, bowsaws and bill hooks. At first I had about twenty to thirty fella`s working with me. it was manic, to say the least, half these lads had never used any thing sharper than the knife and fork that they ate with. Let alone cutting tools that could cause terrible injuries use in the wrong way. That very first day I seen two of the lads playing with hooks like they were sword fencing. I went straight back up to the office to get this sorted. After a good chat with the Forman, it was decided that I picked out four good lads and that we would work away from all the others. We was to Fell and extract all the very large trees and any others that would need to be cut with a chainsaw. The smaller stuff was left for these other gangs of lads to clear with hook, axe and bowsaws under the supervision of the Forman. Was I relieved. I had a good team. we also had two contractors with us with tractors fitted with winches. Work continued on at a pace. Six months into the Job I was called to the office and offered a full time job, to stay on with the British waterways board has a full time Forester. The job creation part would only be lasting for a year to eighteen months. The job went from right up above Llangattock, beyond Home farm at Glanusk, where the Llangynidr road crossed the canal. Through to Gilwern, Govilon and well beyond the breach at Llanfoist. A part from us falling trees, the main construction work was digging out the canal bed, Heavy JCB`s where employed for this work, Then a flat bed of gravel compacted down , then a sort of fiberglass type membrane laid on top and up the side slopes, this then followed by re enforced concrete . On the tow path sides and where necessary along the top of the flatten concrete at the top of the sloping sides they built Stone walls, these about two feet high. Back to the timber, We had accumulated several good loads of Oak, ash, plus a few good soft wood butts all stacked. I organised haulage and sold these into Herbert Stahl at Crickhowell saw mill, Getting a nice Cheque for £7,500 pounds a lot of money back then. Herbert asked to who would he make the cheque out to, The British waterways of course, it was their job so their money. But when I took this Cheque into the local office, the inspector there did not seam to be a very happy man. " what`s this", he asked when I handed him the Cheque. " It`s from the sale of the timber we removed from the canal sided " I said. Then I got, "You had no rights to sell that", This got me thinking, well my job has a Forster was the timber. So I had done what I felt was right. I found out that over the years when lots of other trees had to be cut or fallen naturally, they there disposed of the timber. Was it sold or what, and if so were did any money go ? I stayed on with the Waterways for three years and in that time we had done work on several canals The Glamorgan, Kennet and Avon, and down Crumlin. I was sent on a few different courses, One being down in Guilford at Honey Brothers, a course on safe tree climbing and branch cutting at heights. Two of us went down on the Wednesday, we were booked into a nice hotel, and stayed untill the Saturday morning, a two day course with David Bridgewater the instructor. He had written several books on Tree surgery and trees in general. Before leaving we went to the Honey brothers shop and got fully kitted out. So easy with someone else`s Cheque book. I had moved from The Bothy at Glanusk, up the road to a council house in Llangynidr, We had settled and been here for three years. It was here that I bought my first electric driven Lathe. Called a Chepstow Lathe, I had seen this advertised in a woodwork magazine. So Chepstow being my home town I was curious. I went across to Bristol to get this, it was made by Thyme machines, Roy Searley was the Director of this firm, they mainly made aircraft parts. The lathe production was a bit od a side line I think. Felling trees got it`s perks. I had felled some Lawson cypress. all nice clean truncks. These where cut into ten, eight and some at six feet lengths. I had got them into Crickhowell sawmill and Herbert produce for me enought timbers to build a good shed for a workshop, 10ft by 8ft and six ft 6 inches high to an apex roof. This was the start of my passion for turning wooden objects. Tomorrow is another day, I will be following on, we are not half way there yet.