From Paradise ......to Brynmawr!


Most people’s lifestyle changes mean leaving somewhere like the Valleys of Wales and going somewhere exotic, like, well, a sun-kissed tropical island in the Indian Ocean. One high-flying couple with exciting careers ahead of them decided on the opposite. Marilyn and Pierre Gwet……welcome to Brynmawr. Marilyn, this year’s President of Brynmawr Rotary after just nine months in the club, met future husband Pierre in Cameroon, West Africa. She was a top marketing executive with British American Tobacco, and he was a senior manager with the Hilton Hotel Group in Cameroon, where she was staying.


As a senior exec in the hospitality business, French speaking Pierre could already speak good English. In her first French speaking posting Marilyn had to learn French quickly, progressed by her relationship and marriage to Pierre.


At the time, explained Marilyn, they were both committed company people, but they did have a dream of one day finding somewhere and something they could do together, work hard for themselves and prosper. That was still some years away. Marilyn was orphaned at birth in Uganda and lived with relatives who saw that she received a good education. “This inspired a spirit of compassion and charity,” she said. “I was given an education which transformed my life and drove me to transform things around me.”


She went to work for British American Tobacco and showing a willingness to work


hard she progressed through the company. In her 17 years with the company, she worked in Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa and London, setting up marketing departments, building skills and capacity. Pierre was born in Cameroon, a French-speaking country in West Africa, and went to Belgium to take his degree. He then started work in Belgium and after some years was posted back to Cameroon in an executive position with the Hilton Group.


In 2004, the couple met when Marilyn was staying at the Hilton, Cameroon. “Shortly after we were married we faced a big decision,” said Marilyn. “We both worked for very big powerful companies, both of which were able to offer good opportuni- ties. But we knew that neither of us would be staying in one place for ever. So when a posting back to Uganda came through for me with BAT, it seemed to offer the best opportunity. Pierre resigned from Hilton and started his own consultancy in the hotel business.”


The consultancy worked well, but two years later Marilyn was once again posted, this time to London, so Pierre had to re-locate his busi- ness. By now they had two children, Chloe, who has special needs and Karabo. Living in Britain was an eye-opener for the family, said Marilyn. “There are opportunities if you want


to work hard, and importantly, Chloe was getting the support she needed. It was a good time for us, although Pierre did find that his business was taking time to get established.” After four years in London Marilyn was posted once again, this time to the French speaking tropical paradise of Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, nearest landfall, Mauritius. “After our time in London, we decided that Britain was where we would like to go. “We thought carefully about this. Uganda had been a good place for us, but we worried about starting a business there because everything is so corrupt. We were always troubled in Africa, be- cause of Chloe’s special needs, and it was part of our mission to get her the best support possible. So we started looking for a business in Britain and eventually decided on The Talisman, a town centre pub in Brynmawr.”


Now at this stage Marilyn and Pierre could be forgiven for not knowing very much about Bryn- mawr and the Valleys. But they could see the potential in the new venture and decided to take the plunge.


Then six months after taking the pub on, Chloe had a cardiac arrest. “We dialled 999 and an ambulance, even a helicopter came, and in the middle of all this panic and confusion, Donna (Past President of Brynmawr Rotary, Past District Governor and future Na- tional President of RIBI) walked in. Her hairdressing salon is just doors away and she organised everything. She told us that our daughter was the first priority, and we had to concentrate on that. If necessary she would look after the bar, so we could be in Cardiff at the hospital, another Rotari- an lady baked cakes for us every week and a Pastor said prayers for us in his church. I guess it is because of Chloe that we are in Rotary today. We met the Rotary club and were attracted by the help and community spirit that total strangers showed to us. “This was our introduction to Rotary, and although we had heard of it in Uganda, there we were very afraid of it.


“Back in Uganda, we were told that Rotary is a deadly cult that we should never associate with. I was working for a worldwide organisation, not living in a small village, but my view of Rotary was that it was an organisation trying to do good things to try and entice you in and then bad things would happen to you. Behind the welcome was something sinister, something we were really afraid of. But when we saw how much kindness was being lavished on us, we were even more afraid of the price we would have to pay for this kindness.


“So at first we were afraid of all this kindness and how much it was going to cost us, then grad-


ually we understood and were so grateful. We both even joined Rotary and now I am the President. Shocking isn’t it?”


Since that first realisation, Marilyn and Pierre both joined Rotary, which holds its meetings at the Talisman.


“Obviously we changed our tune about Rotary and we will stick with the club definitely. Everything they do is in line with who we are, that compassion is who we are and we can make a difference. Even our little book project in the pub which raises money for the foodbank, shows the compassion shared by our customers, so we are just pleased that Rotary is all about that. Since we have been in the club, inspired by Chloe’s situation we have installed six defibrillators in this community which will save lives. For me Rotary is action orientated, doing things to help the community.” “We were very pleased with the welcome that our customers gave us when we arrived at The Talisman. We were accepted without a shadow of a doubt. “We want our children to have access to opportunities to make the best of what they are, if you put them in a place where they can work and have good moral values, they will prosper without doubt. “We have found that the riches of life are not about money.”


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