4th April 2019 - Founders Photograph - St Teilo Lodge

Thought for the day: "I’m writing a book about everything I wanted to do before I got too old. It is my oughtobiography."

Cognitive Bias No 2

Dunning Kruger Effect

The tendency for unskilled individuals to overestimate their own ability and the tendency for experts to underestimate their own ability.

Most people are pretty stupid.

Before you get all aggy about that statement, do the maths. At absolute best anyone of average intelligence or below is by definition, pretty stupid. Depending on which average we’re talking about, that means potentially at least 50% of the population are thick as anything.

Maybe that includes you. Maybe that includes me (hint: nah).

The Dunning Kruger Effect suggests that people unskilled in intelligence (stupids) will not recognise just quite how unskilled they are in intelligence.

So you arrive at a situation whereby, let’s say 52% of the population (ahem) think they know more than the experts. We’ve had enough of experts, after all.

There might just be a slight relevance to Brexit in this one. Just a tad.

Meanwhile - as we are seen by others..

I know sometimes my insistence upon the correct use of spelling and grammar may verge upon the pedantic, but I write for a hobby, both prose and music, and I see it as a Craft.. So spending a little effort to play by a set of rules seems to keep everything in context. I take a certain pride in it I will admit, and try hard not to express my annoyance and impatience with those who do not follow the same rules.

So when I saw this little gem I had a rye smile of approval...

The founders Photograph for St Teilo Lodge arrived yesterday. Sadly it was not packed well enough to travel without breaking the glass but the photo itself is fine...

However a close look at the photo, which was taken at the Founding of the Lodge in 1925, predates the current Masonic Hall by 14 years and in 1925 as far as the histories go, the Lodge would have been held in Old Road, near to the rear of the Thomas Arms Hotel.

The Building is the Llanelli Bowls Club in Old Road... and from the records, the Consecration took place at the Falcon Hotel which was situated a bit further down. The Falcon Hotel, an old coaching house, was situated at the bottom of Thomas Street adjacent to the Parish Church. It was later converted into a sort of 'department store' and renamed London House. Demolished to widen the road into Bridge Street.



(From the Centenary Book written by John Edwards)
Llanelli Bowling Club was formed in 1906 when the Llanelli Tennis Club moved from the Thomas Arms to their new courts at Stradey. The old Thomas Arms tennis courts were converted to a bowling green of sorts and by 1907 there was the rudiments of a committee with membership set at ten shillings and sixpence (52.5p).

Most of the members were professional people with a strong Masonic element.

In the early years playing conditions were difficult and, with many members using woods designed for use on crown greens, it was decided to seek professional help in the person of a Mr McDonnell from Glasgow who laid the present green which opened for use on 6th May 1911. He later returned to the town to lay the greens at Parc Howard.

In 1915 the freehold to the land was bought from the Stradey Estate by the Llanelly Bowling Club Company Ltd. which had issued shares at One Pound each and with the Registered Office situated at 28 Goring Road many of the old bowls stalwarts still refer to the club as Goring Road. (The club is also referred to as Old Road or Thomas Arms).

In 1913 a committee of Ladies was set up to arrange refreshments during matches, made up in the main by players' wives, and their reputation and high standards are maintained and highly praised to this day.

Even the Great War of 1914-1918 did not stop the game and the club even managed to employ a green-keeper during that period.

In 1920 a decision was made to build a clubhouse adjacent to the green. The estimated cost was just under 750 pounds but, like a lot of projects, it came in over budget at almost a thousand.

In the 1920's the fixture list featured teams such as Parc Howard and Bryncaerau which were within walking distance, but those further afield, such as Swansea and Bridgend involved the team travelling by train. For the annual trip to Llanwrtyd Wells the club would hire a charabanc.
A little bit of local history...

Cheers !