Beloved 103-year-old ex-miner celebrates milestone birthday

One of the UK’s oldest retired miners has marked his 103rd birthday with a special celebration surrounded by former colleagues, family and friends.

Ron “Ginger” Parsons, from Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, began his remarkable mining career just before his 14th birthday and dedicated an impressive 50 years working at the coal face. 💪

The centenarian shared memories of his first day at Marine Colliery in Cwm, which began 90 years ago. “I remember my first day saying to the manager, ‘can I work with my uncle?’ He said you’re only 14 and you’re not very big. I told a friend, ‘he says I’m too small and too young’.”

Ginger recalled being advised to tell the manager “I’m taller than you”, to which the manager replied “okay, start Monday”.

“I worked there six days a week for 50 years,” Ginger said.

His mining career wasn’t without danger. In the mid-1970s, Ginger nearly lost his life after a heavy fall left him trapped underground. Thankfully, his team, including Christopher ‘Bamba’ Williams, returned to rescue him.

Mr Williams recounted the harrowing experience: “We dug him out and made a stretcher from some timber to carry him out of the pit. I shouted to him ‘are you ok Ginger?’ and he shouted back ‘Bamba, I’m okay’. We then took him to Neville Hall hospital.”

Despite being offered a management position during his career, Ginger preferred to remain hands-on, famously telling bosses: “you keep the pencil, I’ll keep my shovel!”

The beloved miner was known for his musical talents too. “They used to call me the music man and I use to sing all the time,” Ginger said. “I was the first person in Cwm to have a microphone and that made me popular, all the girls wanted me.”

“I use to sing South of the Border, Mexico way. That was my favourite.”

When asked about the secret to his longevity, Ginger offered a simple but powerful philosophy: “I loved everybody in Cwm and I never argued with anyone and never made any enemies.”