John Isaac

John Isaac became the headteacher at Afon Taf School, in Merthyr Tydfil.

He was born on 5th March 1933, the son of Mary, née Price, and Daniel Isaac,1 the manager of the wireless department at the Victor Freed store. The family who lived in Bronallt Terrace, Abercwmboi, were Welsh-speaking and Daniel Isaac was a precentor and deacon at Bethlehem Welsh Independent Chapel, located on John Street in the village. As a teenager John was a member of the Young People’s Guild at the chapel.

John Isaac entered Aberdare Boys County School in 1944 having received his primary education at Capcoch Elementary School.

In 1949, when he was in the fifth form, he entered and won a UNESCO poster competition, and attended the Temple of Peace in Cardiff for the prize-giving ceremony.

John Isaac
in 1949

He took his School Certificate exams in both 1948 and 1949 and finished with eight passes – 1 very good pass, and 7 credits. In the sixth form he took biological subjects and gained Advanced Levels in Botany and Zoology in 1951.

After school, he went to U.C. Cardiff and attained a B.Sc. in Botany and after a further year gained his Diploma in Education in 1954.

John commenced his teaching career at Mountain Ash Grammar School, moving two years later to Quakers Yard Grammar School. When the Quakers Yard school closed, due to school reorganisation,2 he moved, as a founder member of staff, to Afon Taf High School to teach biology. Subsequently he was promoted to Head of Sixth Form, and then to Deputy Headteacher.

He became headteacher at Afon Taf in 1975 and remained in that post until his retirement in 1993. John was widely perceived to be a fair-minded headteacher who encouraged staff and pupils across the entire curriculum, giving equal attention and resources to sciences, humanities, languages and creative arts (including musical and dramatic performance in the community).

Outside school he was a member of two choirs, and served for a period as Chairman of Mountain Ash and District Choral Society, with which he sang for 16 years. He was also a member of The Croeso Barber Shop singing group, which consisted of nine members of the Cwmbach Male Voice Choir. The group became very popular, visiting various society functions, and, as after-dinner entertainers.

John made his home at Quakers Yard, Treharris. He was twice married and had two children by his first wife who died in the mid-1980s. John enjoyed thirty-three years of retirement before his death on March 3rd, 2026, just two days short of his 93rd birthday. His funeral service followed on March 30th, and took place at Llwydcoed Crematorium.

Footnotes

1. Both parents were brought up in Abercwmboi. They were married in Bethlehem chapel in the village on Sunday May 31st, 1931.
2. When the school opened in September 1967, it brought together 1295 pupils drawn from Quakers Yard Grammar School, Treharris County Secondary School, Pantglas County Secondary School Aberfan, and Troedyrhiw County Secondary School.

Acknowledgements

1. The obituary notice posted on the Afon Taf High School website.
2. Articles in archived copies of The Aberdare Leader and The Merthyr Express.
3. Mr D.L. Davies, M.A., of the Welsh Department at Afon Taf.

CR, September 2026