“I wasn’t born with one eye, but I never have two eyes, I grew up and regardless of the incidentals, I achieved what I wanted, to be an engineer.”
Roy Grant was born in Jamaica in May 1942.
“At the age of two, I lost sight in my left eye, twas’ an accident… in 1944, who knows how to get eye mended then, there was no such cure… by the following day… the pupil had punctured.”
“At the age of 15, I wanted to be an engineer… I went to engineering school…”
“At nineteen years of age, I never travel outside my parish… in 1962, 18th of March, I climb aboard the SS Begona…. it carries nearly 5,000 people, massive place. We spend 11 days and nights, on that ship.”
“It wasn’t very easy, to become an engineer, as a Black person then. I wrote my cousin, she came to Wales… the Severn Bridge was being build and there were a few major engineering construction [happening].”
“So I came down here in June 1962, end of June, and, I start working at Top Grinding Engineering.”
“I perfected the cutting tool, that cut [nylon] at high speed… they made me a charge hand. But it wasn’t my name in the paper saying I developed it, it was my boss… I never envisaged in my early days that I would be sitting down and giving an interview, so that’s one, but my greatest moment is when I was awarded Best Book for Wales, in Swansea, Brangwyn Hall, for ‘When Darkness Turns To Light’, that was a good moment.”
“As the older generation die away, you youngsters will start changing the goal posts and changing the atmosphere… enjoy yourself, but learn, learn, learn, learn…it may take a little longer but the opportunity will come…”
“Chefais i mo fy ngeni gydag un llygad, ond doedd gen i erioed ddwy lygad, fe dyfais i fyny ac er gwaethaf hynny, rwyf wedi cyflawni fy nyhead, sef
bod yn beiriannydd.”
Ganed Roy Grant yn Jamaica ym Mai 1942.
“Dyflwydd oed oeddwn i pan gollais i fy ngolwg yn fy llygad chwith, damwain oedd hi... yn 1944, pwy a ŵ yr sut oedd mendio llygad bryd hynny, doedd mo’r fath beth â thriniaeth i hynny... erbyn y diwrnod wedyn... roedd twll yng nghannwyll y llygad.”
“Yn 15 mlwydd oed, roeddwn i am fod yn beiriannydd... fe es i i’r ysgol beirianneg...”
“Yn bedair blwydd ar bymtheg, doeddwn i erioed wedi teithio y tu hwnt i fy mhlwyf... yn 1962, ar y 18fed o Fawrth, esgynnais ar fwrdd yr SS Begona... roedd yn cludo bron i 5,000 o bobl, roedd hi’n enfawr. Fe dreulion ni 11 o ddyddiau a nosau ar fwrdd y llong honno.”
“Doedd hi ddim yn hawdd bryd hynny, fel person Du, i ddod yn beiriannydd. Ysgrifennais at fy nghyfnither, fe ddaeth hi i Gymru... roedd Pont Hafren wrthi’n cael ei hadeiladu ac roedd gwaith adeiladu peirianyddol ar raddfa fawr [yn digwydd].”
“Felly, ddois i yma ym Mehefin 1962, ddiwedd mis Mehefin, a dechreuais weithio yn Top Grinding Enigneering.”
“Fe wnes i berffeithio’r twlsyn torri, un i dorri [neilon] yn gyflym... fe wnaethon nhw fy mhenodi’n weithiwr mewn gofal. Ond nid fy enw i ymddangosodd yn y papur yn dweud fy mod wedi’i ddatblygu, enw’r bos oedd ynddo. Fel arall, mi fuaswn i’n ddyn cyfoethog... Wnes i erioed ddychmygu yn fy nyddiau cynnar y buaswn i’n eistedd i lawr ac yn rhoi cyfweliad, felly dyma ichi un, ond prif uchafbwynt fy mywyd oedd pan enillais i wobr am Lyfr Gorau yng Nghymru, yn Abertawe, Neuadd Brangwyn, am ‘When Darkness Turns to Light’, dyna ichi foment da.”
“Gyda’r genhedlaeth hŷn yn dod i ddiwedd eu hoes, chi’r ieuanc fydd yn dechrau newid y drefn a newid yr awyrgylch... mwynhewch, ond dysgwch, dysgwch, dysgwch... efallai bydd pethau’n cymryd ychydig yn hirach, ond fe ddaw’r cyfle...”