HerStory of Rye, which was funded by the Heritage Lottery Funded Project last year, explores women’s working histories in Rye. We are still continuing to add to the project, interviewing and photographing additional women for the website.
Kathy Redman was born in the dock area of Cardiff – quite a poor area in those days. Against her wishes, her father took her out of school aged fourteen and her first job was in a homeopathic chemist, sorting out the medicines, despite not even being fifteen.
Her second job was working as a clerk in Cwmbran. She got friendly with a girl who had run away to marry a Welsh soldier but when the relationship didn’t work out the girl’s parents came to take her back home to Rye, and the girl insisted Kathy go with her. Kathy moved into Kings Avenue, Rye, at the age of eighteen in 1969 and did not return home.
Two days after arriving in Rye she spotted an advert for a receptionist in Southern Rentals (TV rentals). She went to the interview, made her boss a cup of tea and he offered her the job. She worked there for many years.
Kathy had a number of funny experiences in the shop. This was the advent of colour TV and one family returned their set as they said that the girl with the clown on the screen (the test card) was frightening the children and they wanted their black and white TV back! After getting married, her husband did not like her working on Saturdays so she gave up her job in the TV rental store and started strawberry and apple picking and she also did freelance typing. Her husband was a fisherman. She went out with him twice but the waves and the smell of the diesel made her seasick and decided not to go out to sea again!
Throughout most of the 1970s she worked as a girl Friday at Griffin Boon, the meat processing factory which used to be in the Strand. During this period her wages went from £9 to £30 (per week) after the law giving women equal pay was introduced. Kathy put the additional money away and saved for a deposit on a house.
She had her first child in 1982. “You didn’t work in those days if you had children, unless you were a doctor or solicitor you stayed at home”. Working around the children, Kathy became a childminder and worked at Iden playgroup.
Kathy has always been heavily involved in voluntary work in Rye. She volunteered for 15 years as a receptionist at the Memorial Hospital. She is very involved with fundraising with Chris Emson and the church, the Mothers Union (MU) and for Family Support Work (FSW), and she also fundraises for Sue Ryder.
For the last seven or so years Kathy has volunteered at the Rye Foodbank. It is used much more today, she says, than when she first started there.
Now, as well as still fundraising and working in the Foodbank, she looks after her husband, who is disabled.
Hear more of Kathy’s interview, and the other women, here.
We are still welcoming volunteers to undertake interviews. If you are interested please contact Ali Casey at ali.casey63@gmail.com for further information.
Image Credits: Susan Benn .
Lovely article of a person who is always helping people and not one who enjoys praise.
First met Kathy at the St Johns ambulance, helping as always, at one of the fundraising coffee events. She was so friendly and welcoming. I had just come to live in Rye permanently. One of lives enhancers. Never complaining when life has been very tough. An example to us all.