By Mavis Williams Roberts

Dai Williams was a founder member of Dawnswyr Tawerin and the anchor of the team. If Dai was there, everyone was comfortable. Not only a dancer, Dai was motivator, organiser and counsellor to the team. He smoothed ruffled feather and encouraged the hesitant. He and Ann were the threads that kept the team together. Dai was still dancing the Nantgarw Fair dances with panache at seventy years of age.

To think of Dai is to hear his voice and see his smile. When he first came to dance with Parti Prifysgol Abertawe he seemed slightly embarrassed to be there. Despite his rugby commitments, like many other young male students of the 1960s, he came dancing because of a girl, Ann.

I recall how, on a trip to Brittany, he carried a coracle in all the processions.

Gradually, Dai came to love the dancing, always striving to improve, and keen to learn about the culture of other countries as well as his own.

He was a keen observer and critic and in later life adjudicated dance at local and national level.

He loved the fair dances and was often to be seen leading the team in Rali Twm Sion. He was the perfect ambassador for Wales and Welsh dancing. When on tour, one of his favourite sayings was “Disgwyliwch yr annisgwyliadwy”, “Expect the unexpected”.

My daughter Nia remembers Dai from her childhood. Dai was always wonderful with children, carrying them high on his shoulder in procession, or dancing with them at their level. Ann and Dai lived near us then, and Nia would come down in the morning, see the wine glasses, and say “Ann and Dai have been”, almost as if it were Father Christmas himself. Terry remembers Dai’s brilliant humour and his ability to laugh at disasters.

While Dai was dancing with the University team he met Pat Shaw. Patrick was both friend and teacher to Dai who loved to re-call and use some of Pat’s more pithy comments like “Move boy, move!”.

Dai was a modest man and was always there; leading, guiding, helping and explaining. For over fifty years Dai danced with the Swansea teams and, in the end, Dai was the team.

How shall we manage without you Dai; we who are so proud to have been your friends and team mates?