A series of original drawings of the first Welsh people to emigrate to Patagonia in 1865 has been created for a new national course for experienced learners with the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
Helen Flook, an artist from Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd has drawn the pictures which reflect the experiences and challenges that faced the first Welsh people to arrive in the settlement.
The six acrylic ink drawings show different scenes – the voyage from Liverpool aboard the Mimosa ship; arriving and working the land in order to irrigate the fields and cultivate crops, and the task of developing a Welsh community.
A couple of the pictures created by Helen Flook for the new course
Gaiman exhibition
An exhibition of the drawings was held in Gaiman, Patagonia at the end of September. Here is what Irupé Meza White, a Year 5 pupil from Camwy Secondary School, said about the event:
I opened the show with the help of Sinead Harries, and my friends from Colegio Camwy explained a bit about what each drawing showed, and Tedy closed the exhibition. The place was packed to the brim, with most people speaking Welsh. I really enjoyed it. After reading and looking at the drawings, we had some light refreshments of pop, empanadas and sandwiches – very tasty!
Irupé Meza White
Celebrating the new drawings at the ‘Meraki’ cafe in the Gaiman
