Collections Online

Oral history recording with Everton Smith, Everton Smith, born in February 1962 in St Woolos Hospital, Newport. Recorded as part of Race Council Cymru’s Windrush Cymru Heritage Project.

“I’m pleased with my profession, that I can make a difference, you know, I have been for many years.”

Everton Smith was born in February 1962 in St Woolos Hospital. Everton grew up in Pill and moved to Gaer Vale in the summer of 1973, just after the passing of his father and his eleventh birthday.

“I was born in Pill, grown up in Pill… We lived at the time in 12 Lewis Street, which is no longer there.”

“My mum’s a very strict devoted Christian, so obviously, church was every Sunday, twice in a morning and in the evening…”

“When I found challenges and circumstances, I was able to be a bit stronger, because of that upbringing, so at the time I didn’t appreciate, but later on I did.”

“Generally, there was a lot of discrimination, a lot of prejudice…”

“I’ve got a business, Newport City Martial Arts. I started doing martial arts when I was seventeen, so I’ve been doing it forty odd years…”

“I teach personal development, alongside fitness and martial arts.”

“My parents come here with not a lot… in two years, I’ll own that building in town, so it’s a pretty good achievement… I’ve ended up probably one of the first West Indians people to own a building in the middle of town, so I feel pretty pleased about that.”

“For the older West Indian guys, once a week they can come to my gym and I can teach them a bit of tai chi or a bit of just posture…”