The World As Seen by a Son of Blaenau Gwent

R. T (Rob) Furber, who is looking through “Illtyd Eyes”

…is located in “The Home Counties (East)” on the border between Hertfordshire and Essex, in Sawbridgeworth.

He initially grew up in the village of Llanhilleth located in the Eastern Mining Valleys of the South Wales coalfields. Living on the top side of a valley partially cut by the Ebbw river, close to the pre Norman Church, and hamlet that takes its name, of Illtyd. A child that was heavily influenced by the desire of the Wilson Labour government of the 1960s to grasp the ‘White Heat of Technology’, he took his science and technology studies at (initially) Abertillery Grammar and Technical School and subsequently Nantyglo Comprehensive seriously enough to win a place at the University of Bath to study Chemical Engineering. 

Combining his natural technological inquisitiveness as a student with a deep appreciation of the Performing Arts he graduated with an engineering degree from the University of Bath together with a diploma in Double Bass playing from the Welsh School of Music – which were obtained simultaneously.

Now retired from full time employment, Rob is seeing a very different set of perspectives than those he possessed when graduating Chemical Engineering from the University of Bath in 1978.

His extensive engineering & business experiences were initially gathered in the East London Docklands of the late 70’s, then moving to so called ‘Third World’ developing countries as diverse as (e.g.) Nigeria, Kenya, Sri Lanka and India. This was followed by a honing in the more developed ‘First World’ environments of Belgium, Nordic Countries, the UK and North America, also establishing a subsidiary business in Israel for ‘Hi Tech’ Process Industries Technologies. These Engineering and Business developments have been coupled with study for a Masters in Business Administration giving a perspective that views the world and its action through a unique “Looking Glass”.

Laterly in retirement, Rob is indulging in his ‘Performing arts’ interests; playing with numerous Symphony, Concert and Operatic Orchestras. In addition taking up the learning of a new instrument. He is developing his interests in visual media through extensive photography shoots, primarily of sports and wildlife. His interests in the Performing Arts has extended to Broadcasting on local / community radio.

In proving that “You can take the boy out of the valley, but you can’t take the valley out of the boy” Rob is a committed participant in the local Christian church, also volunteering at a Local Night Shelter for the homeless.  He also is active for the local Constituency Labour Party of Hertford and Stortford. 

He will write on Social, Business, Performing Arts and Technology fields (particularly Energy and Climate change, which is somewhat ‘mystified’ by ill informed religion rather than rational thinking in his opinion). His two particular heros were Anthony Wedgwood Ben and the Rev David Jenkins (former Bishop of Durham). They had an irritating and consistent ability to ask “bloody awkward questions” of those whom needed to account and to their communities around them.  It is Rob’s intention to maintain their legacy!

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