Shows
Veteran State Of Mind NetworkVeteran State Of Mind Episode 221: John NicholSend us a textJOHN NICHOL served in the Royal Air Force for fifteen years. On active duty during the first Gulf War in 1991, his Tornado bomber was shot down during a mission over Iraq. Captured, tortured and held as a prisoner of war, John was paraded on television, provoking worldwide condemnation and leaving one of the most enduring images of the conflict. John is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down and author of many highly acclaimed epics, including Spitfire, Lancaster and Tornado, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. He has made a number...
2024-09-2643 minVeteran State Of Mind NetworkVeteran State Of Mind 218: with John Dixon, 2nd Commando RegimentSend us a textA conversation with John Dixon, who served in Australia's elite 2nd Commando Regiment. You can connect with John on instagram: @johns_opSigned copies of Geraint's new book, D-Day: The Unheard Tapes: www.geraintjonesmedia.comAudiobook/ ebook/ unsigned copies of Geraint's new book, D-Day: The Unheard Tapes: https://www.amazon.co.uk/D-Day-Powerful-Eye-witness-Accounts-Normandy/dp/1035049635Thank you to our sponsors:Hamilton Gold: https://www.hamiltongoldcompany.com/Insta: @hamilton_gold_companyCombat Fuel - www.combat-fuel.co.uk Use code VSOM at...
2024-05-071h 01Veteran State Of Mind NetworkWar Story 001: with John Dixon, 2nd Commando RegimentSend us a textJohn Dixon served in Australia's elite 2nd Commando Regiment. In this episode, we discuss John's multiple tours to Afghanistan.You can connect with John on instagram: @johns_opYou can become a supporter of the podcast for as little as £1 a month. https://www.patreon.com/vsompodcastThank you to our sponsors! The show doesn't happen without them!Combat Fuel - www.combat-fuel.co.uk Use code VSOM at checkout for a discount on your potions.Zulu Alpha Strap Company - https://zu...
2024-02-071h 57
John Michael Godier's Event HorizonWhy the Universe May End at Any Moment With Prof. Geraint LewisJoin the Event Horizon book club and buy Geraint Lewis's newest book here: https://amzn.to/3W9cM0X
Can the Universe End at any Moment? What is False vacuum decay? What is Dark Matter? Geraint Lewis joins John Michael Godier to explore our mysterious universe.
2024-02-021h 00John Michael Godier's Event HorizonThe Spooky Universe: Cosmological Time Dilation With Dr. Geraint LewisAstronomers have observed massive time dilation in the earliest universe. What does this tell us about our universe? Dr. Geraint Lewis joins John Michael Godier to discuss this and ideas like will the universe ever simple stop existing?
Astronomers observe time dilation in early universe https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jul/03/astronomers-observe-time-dilation-in-early-universe
Did time really run more slowly? https://www.geraintflewis.com/post/but-did-time-really-run-more-slowly
2024-01-1157 min
John On The RhonddaTonypandy Ton UpIt's finally arrived - the 100th episode! But John Geraint Roberts' plans for it have been disrupted by a disturbing dream...
2023-01-2519 minJohn On The RhonddaCentenary Quiz - part threeWith the 100th episode of 'John On The Rhondda' coming up next time, the final round of our quiz is all about Rhondda values, and why John Geraint Roberts believes we should continue to cherish them.
2023-01-1814 minJohn On The RhonddaCentenary Quiz - part twoWith the 100th episode of 'John On The Rhondda' fast approaching, round two of the quiz tests your knowledge of Rhondda music - and gives you the chance to listen again some of the Valley's greatest hits.
2023-01-1118 minJohn On The RhonddaCentenary Quiz - part oneWith the 100th episode of 'John On The Rhondda' fast approaching, John Geraint Roberts presents highlights of the back-catalogue, and tests your knowledge of Rhondda schools and cinemas, in the first round of a three-part quiz.
2023-01-0414 minJohn On The RhonddaDadJohn Geraint is the son of a preacher man. Here's the story of his late father, David James Roberts: fisherman, teacher, lifelong teetotaller and Baptist deacon with enormous reserves of patience - and a wicked sense of humour!
2022-12-2810 minJohn On The RhonddaChristmas PresentIf you’re anything like John Geraint, the frantic search for gifts has only just begun, if it’s begun at all. But don't panic, this Christmas he's here to help, with a wonderful suggestion for you...
2022-12-0715 minJohn On The RhonddaBuried TreasureThe most fantastic discovery ever made within reach of the Rhondda - and it all came about because John Geraint Roberts' grandfather needed a glass of drinking water.
2022-11-3010 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Choir'Choral bull-fights’, betting, missile throwing, assaults on adjudicators... You can’t beat a good Welsh male voice choir. Even if you've beaten them. John Geraint Roberts delves into the backstory of Rhondda's fiercest musical rivalry.
2022-11-2310 minJohn On The RhonddaWorld Cup HeroesOnly two managers have ever taken Wales to soccer's World Cup Finals. And they were both born in the same Valley. A coincidence? John Geraint Roberts doesn't think so!
2022-11-1609 minJohn On The RhonddaPontyWhat's in a name? In Pontypridd, it seems, quite a lot. That's not the reason, though, that John Geraint Roberts is heading there this week.
2022-11-0910 minJohn On The RhonddaA Journey Around My ReadersA big thank you to those who've read and responded to 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' by John Geraint published by Cambria Books
2022-09-2109 minJohn On The RhonddaRhondda and RoyaltyStreet parties and royal visits, celebrations and now mourning. Rhondda's relationship with royalty in the light of events of recent days. Some respectful thoughts from a republican, John Geraint Roberts.
2022-09-1409 min
John On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part tenJohn Geraint reads the tenth and last extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel'. The whole novel is available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-09-0712 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part nineJohn Geraint reads the ninth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-08-3113 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part eightJohn Geraint reads the eighth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-08-2409 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part sevenJohn Geraint reads the seventh extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-08-1713 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part sixJohn Geraint reads the sixth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-08-1011 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part fiveJohn Geraint reads the fifth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-08-0311 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part fourJohn Geraint reads the fourth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-07-2715 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part threeJohn Geraint reads the third part of 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-07-2013 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part twoJohn Geraint reads the second part of 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-07-1313 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part oneJohn Geraint reads the first part of 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.
2022-07-0612 minJohn On The RhonddaMy Rhondda Novel - part twoWriting a book is a challenge - even if it's about the Rhondda! John Geraint reflects on some of the demons he wrestled with in creating 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel'.
2022-06-2915 minJohn On The RhonddaMy Rhondda NovelIt wasn't just a dream! John Geraint really has written a book - 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel'. And it'll be published by Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) at the beginning of July 2022. Here's John talking about what his 'love letter to the Rhondda' aims to celebrate.
2022-06-2211 minJohn On The RhonddaHe Writes Like A Dream...There's a rumour around the valley that a new novel about the Rhondda will be out soon. It's all about someone who sounds very like John Geraint Roberts. It's causing him a bit of anxiety. No wonder he's been talking to himself again!
2022-06-1509 minJohn On The RhonddaTreorchy - Higher and HigherA new video celebrating the continuing successes of Treorchy's fabulous High Street brings back memories for John Geraint Roberts of childhood bus rides to the town - and prompts him to commend those who've led Treorchy to new heights as an inspiration which the whole Rhondda could take to heart.
2022-06-0810 minJohn On The RhonddaRhondda Fach'The Other Valley' - from Maerdy down to Porth: so much rich history, and a little bit of friendly rivalry with the Rhondda Fawr! Join John Geraint Roberts on a jaunt through the villages of the Fach, ending up at the wonderful Workers Gallery in Ynyshir.
2022-05-2511 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Record ShopDo you remember the very first LP you bought? And where you bought it? John Geraint Roberts owes his musical education to a very special retail outlet in a very special place: Tonypandy Square.
2022-05-1814 minJohn On The RhonddaCambrian VoicesFifty-seven years ago, thirty-one Rhondda men died in an underground explosion in the Cambrian Colliery, Clydach Vale. As the anniversary of the Disaster approaches, John Geraint Roberts honours those who died, and those who worked there and survived the Disaster, by sharing some of their memories of what the pit was like as a workplace: the tough times and backbreaking work, the camaraderie too, the jokes and the pranks.
2022-05-1109 minJohn On The RhonddaDim ProblemIf you've spent some time in Wales, you probably speak a bit of Welsh, even if you don't speak Welsh, if you see what John Geraint Roberts means. And if you've spent any time at all in the Rhondda, you've almost certainly got a lot more Welsh than you realise...
2022-04-1307 minJohn On The RhonddaPorth County Teachers and PupilsSome stars of schooldays sat at desks; some stood in front of the blackboard. A school magazine from the 1960s takes John Geraint Roberts much further back in time, to days when classroom conditions were scarcely tolerable. And prompts him top reveal the secret that every teacher knows...
2022-04-0610 minJohn On The RhonddaRhondda WeddingsIf you were the marrying kind, where did you tie the knot? Church, chapel or registry office? For better or worse, John Geraint Roberts recalls some memorable matrimonial occasions from his past, even though he never had a Rhondda Wedding himself.
2022-03-3009 minJohn On The RhonddaShop At The Kwop?The Co-operative Stores. What do you call them? 'The Coe-Op'? Or the 'Kwop'? Or the 'Kop' even. John Geraint Roberts' family were stalwart members of the Penygraig Industrial Co-operative Society, and they knew what to call it - and what kind of service they expected when they shopped there. After all, the shop belonged to them (and to all the 6,000 other members).
2022-03-2310 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Power HouseThis Grade II listed building provided the power which drove the fans and pumps that kept the Glamorgan Collieries in Llwynypia functioning. It was at the centre of one of the most momentous episodes in our history - the Cambrian Combine Dispute which led to the Tonypandy Riots in 1910. Now it's up for auction. John Geraint Roberts believes it's a place that can play a part in our future too - but it needs saving and restoring in order to do that.
2022-03-1609 minJohn On The RhonddaLlwynypia HospitalThe birthplace of thousands of Rhondda children, the hospital at Llwynypia was originally a workhouse. Its history spans the decades before and after the birth of the NHS. John Geraint Roberts is proud to have entered this world there - and his Mam was very relieved: he was nearly born on a geriatric ward!
2022-03-0910 minJohn On The Rhondda'Mid-Rhondda': Back On TrackA David-against-Goliath victory for a Rhondda campaign seeking to safeguard a much-loved green space for community use... it may seem a small thing in the grand scheme of global affairs, but in dark and desperate days, it's an inspiration, says John Geraint Roberts.
2022-03-0210 minJohn On The RhonddaRhondda BillionairesMoney... and how it's earned. It's a strange thing. Fortunes were accumulated from Rhondda coal - but not by those who dug it out. John Geraint Roberts weighs up the idea of a 'self-made billionaire' - and finds it lacks all substance, certainly when compared with the tonnage shifted by his grandfather and his butties.
2022-02-1609 minJohn On The RhonddaMiner's DayB. L. Coombes's classic 'Miner's Day' has been re-issued by Parthian Books in a beautiful new format, edited by Peter Wakelin, illustrated by many more of Isabel Alexander's drawings and paintings of 1940s Rhondda. To John Geraint Roberts, it's a treasure.
2022-02-0910 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Ystrad Crocodile's TaleBizarre, absurd, joyful... Rhondda life has always sparkled with oddball characters and crazy happenings. One news story that recently came to light is pretty hard to swallow - but it's perfectly true! John Geraint Roberts has been talking about it. Talking to himself, naturally...
2022-01-2609 minJohn On The RhonddaBlack Tips and PyramidsFlying high in the Swiss Alps. The fun and games of a Rhondda childhood. There's a connection between the two - in John Geraint's mind anyway. And it leads him to consider how those who live beneath mountains despoiled by coal waste deserve better. It's shameful for them to be left worrying daily about whether they and their loved ones are in mortal danger. Coal made Britain rich. For the Valleys that produced it, it's payback time!
2022-01-1210 min
John On The RhonddaRhondda ResolutionDo you have a dream? The New Year is the perfect time to resolve to make that dream a reality! That's what John Geraint Roberts is determined to do, with... The Year Of The Valleys 2024.
2022-01-0508 minJohn On The RhonddaQuiz TimeYes, it's that time of year when we all love to puzzle over some fiendishly difficult questions, testing our memories about the events of the last twelvemonth. Have you been paying attention... to John Geraint Roberts?
2021-12-2917 minJohn On The RhonddaChristmas StoryIntroducing two Rhondda hedgehogs who're quite well-known in John Geraint Roberts' family but are making their broadcast debuts in this special Christmas story, suitable for children aged 0-99.
2021-12-2212 minJohn On The RhonddaSunday SchoolHow did Moses cross the Red Sea? And how did the boy called David bring down the Philistine giant Goliath? If the answers to these questions trip off your tongue, you probably learnt them in Sunday School, like John Geraint Roberts. But there's another side to some of the familiar, comforting Bible stories - and even at Christmas, it's worth pondering their true meaning...
2021-12-1509 minJohn On The RhonddaRhondda ParksEvery Rhondda park has a story to tell - it's just that, like the trees that lend the parks so much of their beauty, some of those tales are taller than others. John Geraint Roberts recalls the idyllic playgrounds of his childhood... but it was all such a long time ago now, so they're bitter-sweet memories - definitely a case of swings and roundabouts!
2021-11-2409 minJohn On The RhonddaTonypandy Riots!November, 1910. From Porth to Ystrad, every colliery is at a standstill. 12,000 mid-Rhondda miners are on strike. But their efforts to secure a living wage for themselves and their families are being frustrated by the Chief Constable of Glamorgan, the Metropolitan Police, the Lancashire Fusiliers, the 18th Hussars and Winston Churchill. It’s going to be a Riot.
2021-11-0310 minJohn On The RhonddaWe Beat The All Blacks!In rugby, any side representing New Zealand has a special aura. Against Wales, for far too long, its been an aura of invincibility. But there are some Rhondda players who could legitimately respond to that famous rugby chant 'Who beat the All Blacks?' with a proud 'We did!'
2021-10-2009 minJohn On The RhonddaPorth County PartiesTradition is a funny thing. And the tradition of the Porth County Sixth Form Eighteenth Birthday Party was one of the... if not funniest, then certainly most fun. Or was it? John Geraint Roberts tries to remember
2021-10-1310 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Rhondda MamThe Rhondda Mam is a classic Welsh Mam with an extra gear. John Geraint Roberts should know - his mother was one. She's remembered - amongst much else - for her endless supply of kit-kats!
2021-10-0609 minJohn On The RhonddaWhy It's THE RhonddaWhy do we talk about 'the Rhondda', not just 'Rhondda'? 'John On Rhondda' would sound odd, and most of us would say 'I was born in THE Rhondda' - but what's the reason for putting the definite article before the place-name? After all, it's not something we do commonly in English. John Geraint Roberts tries to explain...
2021-09-2908 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Man Who Made Tommy FarrIn 1937, in New York, the 'Tonypandy Terror' fought the legendary Joe Louis for the World Heavyweight Championship. It was a night all of the Rhondda remembers because of the 'live' radio commentary, relayed over the transatlantic cable. But the story of Tommy Farr's rise through the ranks is just as gripping...
2021-09-2210 minJohn On The RhonddaBack To SchoolThe first day of term! The whole world is a blank page in a fresh, new exercise book, and no-one's quite sure how it's going to be filled. John Geraint Roberts remembers his first day at Porth County, Hendrecafn Juniors and (almost!) Penygraig Infants.
2021-09-0108 minJohn On The RhonddaAnother Musical TreatHave you heard about the most influential Rhondda band you’ve never heard of – and why you should be grateful for that? The (literally) incredible story of the group who invented a whole new way of singing and playing, with their classic tracks ‘Tonypandy Ton Up’, ‘Penrhys’ and ‘Wales Today’. Warning: contains nuts.
2021-08-2516 minJohn On The RhonddaMusic Hall MaestroBroadcast publicly for the first time in an entire century, the mellifluous melodies of the magnificent mid-Rhondda musical maestro and miner, Mr John Henry Tudball!
2021-08-1113 minJohn On The RhonddaDruids Close To HomeThe National Eisteddfod has only ever visited the Rhondda once - but, as John Geraint Roberts explains, the Valley has certainly made an impact on the 'Olympics for Welsh-speakers'.
2021-08-0409 minJohn On The RhonddaSummer In The RhonddaSchool's out - and John Geraint Roberts remembers the colourful summers of his childhood. Six weeks of freedom! But there was a secret about the long holidays, a secret he'd managed to forget since the previous summer...
2021-07-2809 minJohn On The RhonddaProper Rhondda TalkWhat do you make of your own accent? John Geraint Roberts is proud of his. But not everyone from the Rhondda thinks that local people talk 'proper'. So John decided to have a chat to someone he thought might cast some light on the issue - strangely, it was John Geraint Roberts himself.
2021-07-2107 minJohn On The RhonddaValley of SongRhondda people love singing hymns and arias, ballads and rock anthems of all kinds... but have we got enough songs about the Rhondda to sing? John Geraint Roberts has used lots of music in his films about the Valley over the years, but he's still searching for The Great Rhondda Song...
2021-07-1412 minJohn On The RhonddaPenrhysPenrhys - a hilltop site of mystery, magic and miracles. For centuries, pilgrims flocked here hoping to be healed or blessed. It was a place of peace and reflection. But during the reign of Henry VIII, it could have sparked a rebellion...
2021-07-0709 minJohn On The RhonddaUncle Len - The Rhondda Working ManThe Rhondda Working Man - a heroic figure. Tens of thousands of intelligent, characterful men spent their lives doing unimaginably tough, backbreaking work. My Uncle Len was typical of them - but he was complete one-off too. This is my affectionate tribute to him, and to all those who laboured like him.
2021-06-3009 minJohn On The RhonddaTreorchy's Rugby DreamA bunch of Rhondda boys with a Grand Ambition - to take their local club to the very top of the rugby tree. There are so many parts of this story that - if you didn’t know they'd actually happened in real life - you’d swear that John Geraint Roberts had dreamt them up.
2021-06-2308 minJohn On The RhonddaRhondda Place NamesWhat does Tonypandy mean? Ynyshir? Gelli? Llwynypia? And there are plenty more where they came from! John Geraint Roberts gets to grip with why they named places up and down the Rhondda Fach and the Rhondda Fawr they way they did.
2021-06-1609 minVeteran State Of Mind NetworkVeteran State Of Mind Episode 140: Touched by the NVA, with John Stryker MeyerSend us a textJohn Stryker "Tilt" Meyer is an American author and U.S. Army Special Forces combat veteran of service in covert reconnaissance with the Studies and Observations Group, also known as MACV-SOG. Today we go in depth into one of his missions 'across the fence.'Tilt's spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6160bs1mKLHq7MV5xb7FOxYou can find John's books here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Stryker-Meyer/e/B002A510S4?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1600457309&sr=8-1John is on I...
2021-06-111h 53John On The RhonddaIce Creams and Frothy CoffeesIf you grew up in the Rhondda, real Italian ice-cream and 'Bracchis' - Italian cafes - offered a taste of paradise, exotic and yet all our own. John Geraint Roberts savours the flavours of Caravaggi's vanilla and Melardi's espresso.
2021-06-0908 minJohn On The RhonddaRailway LinesA trip on a train from Tonypandy and Trealaw station was always a treat for John Geraint Roberts. But there's one Rhondda rail journey he never made, and he's always regretted it...
2021-05-2609 minJohn On The RhonddaRhondda Towns and VillagesWhere do you come from? And is your 'bit' of the Valley a town or a village? Does it matter what you call it? YES, says John Geraint Roberts. And he finds inspiration for his notion of how we should picture the Rhondda, far, far away, in a most unlikely place.
2021-05-1908 minJohn On The RhonddaCambrianA walk through Clydach Vale's Countryside Park prompts thoughts of the terrible Cambrian Disaster, and the price that colliers paid so that others could enjoy comfort and power.
2021-05-1207 minJohn On The Rhondda'Mid-Rhondda': Our Field Of DreamsThe Mid-Rhondda Athletic Ground in Tonypandy hosted international teams in rugby union and rugby league, and boasted its own professional football club. But John Geraint Roberts remembers it for an epic cricket match in which he played an unexpected part.
2021-05-0509 min2021-04-2808 minJohn On The RhonddaFrom Radio Rhondda To Rhondda Radio1978. Wales was about to get its first-ever dedicated national radio service. But BBC bosses wanted to pilot the new station, to see if it chimed with the audience. And there was only one place to do that: the Rhondda! John Geraint Roberts was just 21 - the youngest member of the launch team, presenting a show called 'Rhondda Rock'.
2021-04-2108 minJohn On The RhonddaDai Chips: A Rhondda TimelordDavid Hywel Thomas - History's Most Eccentric History Teacher... and one of the best!
2021-04-1409 minJohn On The RhonddaStreets AheadJohn Geraint Roberts takes us for a busy walk along the retail wonderland that was Tonypandy's Dunraven Street in the 1970s.
2021-03-3107 minJohn On The RhonddaOn A Rhondda BusJohn Geraint Roberts' favourite boyhood toy took him up and down the Rhondda, from Blaencwm to Porth, and Clydach Vale to Maerdy - and even further afield! He was by far and away the youngest driver on the whole Rhondda Transport network.
2021-03-2408 minJohn On The RhonddaThe Price Of CoalJohn Geraint Roberts's boyhood home was just yards away from one of Rhondda's most famous collieries - but the pit had been shut the year after the year he was born. All the same, his house had plenty to teach him about the true cost of the black diamond.
2021-03-1709 minJohn On The RhonddaPhoning HomeCan you remember your very first telephone number? We were stuck for years on a waiting list before we got a phone at home, and when we did get one, it wasn't a proper Tonypandy number we were given. Memories of phone boxes, party lines, operators and misdialled numbers... a time when telecommunication wasn't the instant, omnipresent, hi-tech amenity we take for granted today.
2021-03-1006 minJohn On The RhonddaWelshIn 2002, every child in Welsh-medium schools in the whole Rhondda marched on top of Penrhys to take part in a special film based on a National Eisteddfod-winning poem which celebrates the long history of the Valley. Rhondda's world-famous choirs, bands, singers and actors got involved too. John Geraint Roberts explains how he was inspired to make the film.
2021-03-0308 minJohn On The RhonddaCentral Hall, TonypandyThe extraordinary social gospel preached and practised at the Methodist Central Hall, Tonypandy was an imaginative and prophetic clarion call against the inequalities of the 1920s and 1930s which pushed Rhondda people into hardship, hunger and - in thousands of cases - exile.
2021-02-2406 minJohn On The RhonddaWill You Come To The Pictures With Me?The Plaza and the Picturedrome, Zulu and Ben Hur, and the anxieties of a first date - the magic of the movies in mid-Rhondda.
2021-02-1707 minJohn On The RhonddaAuntiesHow many aunties did you have, when you were growing up? John Geraint Roberts started counting his, got to fifty and then recorded this episode...
2021-02-1107 minJohn On The RhonddaPorth CountyWere your schooldays the happiest days of your life? John Geraint Roberts counts himself lucky to have been born in just the right place at just the right time to experience a unique moment of educational transition.
2021-02-0407 min2021-01-2806 minJohn On The RhonddaUp The MountainWill you go for a walk with me?
C'mon, we'll pretend we're teenagers again, you and me, and head off up the mountain. There's a place up there that's got something really special about it, something scarcely believable. I'm not sure I believe it myself....
2021-01-2106 minJohn On The RhonddaHipsters!What does following a band do for its fans? And what the fans do for a band? John Geraint Roberts listens back to a legendary Rhondda band of the 1980s.
2021-01-1409 minJohn On The RhonddaCorona!Remember when 'Corona' meant pop, not the virus? John Geraint Roberts tells the amazing story of the genesis of Corona Soft Drinks as Welsh Hills Mineral Waters in Porth, and of William Evans, the man behind the brand and the grocery chain 'Thomas and Evans'
2021-01-0704 minJohn On The RhonddaNew Year's EveJohn's grandfather often hit the nail on the head. He was the colliery blacksmith. New Year's Eve always brings to mind his long life, with its many ups and downs. He was married four times, the fourth when he was... well, have a listen to find out how old!
2020-12-3104 minVeteran State Of Mind NetworkVeteran State Of Mind Episode 103: The Hostile Operator, with John SmithSend us a textJohn Smith served in Iraq and Afghanistan with 4 Rifles. After leaving the military he went on to work as a private military contractor, seeing more action in the countries that he had previously visited with the British Army.John is online @the_hostile_operator and https://thehostileoperatorpodcast.podbean.comMerch and clothing to support the podcast can be found at http://www.vsomstore.comYou can find books from guests of the podcast here: https://www.vsompodcast.com/books/You can connect with Geraint at...
2020-12-212h 08John On The RhonddaTrimming The Coalface For ChristmasA letter from a listener which John Geraint Roberts has kept for 40 years. Mr William Coombes of Llwynypia describes a magic seasonal moment he shared with his 'butties', his fellow miners, deep underground.
2020-12-2003 minJohn On The RhonddaTom Jones In Nantgwyn Street“Have you ever met Tom Jones? I did once. Well, nearly...”
The full story of star-struck 10-year-old John Geraint Roberts and Wales’s greatest popular singer coming together in Nantgwyn Street, Penygraig.
First broadcast on Rhondda Radio.
2020-12-1703 minJohn On The RhonddaTonypandy SquareDo you remember Pandy Square in the 1970s? The Record Shop? The cafes? The cinema? John recalls the first album he ever bought, and his first-ever date... and remembers looking back further still into the past, to the times of the infamous Tonypandy Riots. First broadcast on Rhondda Radio.
2020-12-1102 min2020-12-1000 minVeteran State Of Mind NetworkVeteran State of Mind Episode 089: Across The Fence Part 2, with John Stryker MeyerSend us a textJohn Stryker "Tilt" Meyer is an American author and U.S. Army Special Forces combat veteran of service in covert reconnaissance with the Studies and Observations Group, also known as MACV-SOG. Meyer resides in California, since 1985, and has published three works of nonfiction related to his experiences in the Vietnam War.You can find John's books here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Stryker-Meyer/e/B002A510S4?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1600457309&sr=8-1John is on Instagram: @jstrykermeyerMerch and clothing to support...
2020-10-191h 52Veteran State Of Mind NetworkVeteran State of Mind Episode 083: Across The Fence Part 1, with John Stryker MeyerSend us a textJohn Stryker "Tilt" Meyer is an American author and U.S. Army Special Forces combat veteran of service in covert reconnaissance with the Studies and Observations Group, also known as MACV-SOG. Meyer resides in California, since 1985, and has published three works of nonfiction related to his experiences in the Vietnam War.You can find John's books here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Stryker-Meyer/e/B002A510S4?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1600457309&sr=8-1John is on Instagram: @jstrykermeyerMerch and clothing to support...
2020-09-211h 54Veteran State Of Mind NetworkVeteran State of Mind, Episode 020: D-Day 75, with John WintleSend us a textThis is a very special episode, where Geraint had the privilege of sitting down with John Wintle, a 95 year old World War Two veteran who landed in Normandy on D+8. Among the topics of discussion on this episode; choosing the army over the coal mines; landing in Normandy; and the importance of remembrance. You can connect with Geraint at @grjbooks across social media, and find his Afghanistan memoir Brothers in Arms in all good book stores.If you are a veteran struggling with mental health, or you just want a...
2019-06-241h 14
High AltitudeGeraint Martin - Healthcare: identifying symptoms & fixing healthcare - what's the prescription for leaders?The current chief executive of Te Papa Tongarewa who graduated in modern history and science at the University of Birmingham and is adjunct Professor at the Auckland University of Technology and Victoria University in Wellington speaks on process and problem in the New Zealand and International healthcare systems. Geraint began a career in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, rose to chief executive and lead a redesign of the Welsh health and social care system before coming to New Zealand and spending a decade running a major District Health Board in a complex multi-ethnic community with deteriorating...
2018-06-1840 min
Global ReconGRP 104-Geraint Jones:The Story of a British Infantry Soldier in IraqGRP 104- This episode is co-hosted by the creator of The Veterans Project U.S. Army Veteran Tim Kolczak. Our guest for today is British Army combat veteran Geraint Jones. Gez served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. We took a dive into what it was like serving during the height of the Iraq war in Basra where the British military was primarily operating. Basra at the time was like the wild west and Gez shares stories of his time patrolling into some of these areas as well as the complexity of dealing with very tight rules of...
2017-12-281h 52