Aberdare and District Angling Association

Dr. James Ross Steen a young Irishman came to Aberdare before World War 2, he brought with him his passion for Angling especially fly fishing, and his love of the natural environment that stemmed quite naturally from his rural outdoor upbringing in the tiny village of Carickmacross, Southern Ireland.

Coming from a part of Ireland where all the rivers were crystal clear he was appalled when he arrived in Aberdare and saw the dirty and wantonly polluted River Cynon.  The years went by and as soon as he saw the slightest glint of an opportunity of being able to do something about it he set forth undaunted on his quest for a clean River Cynon.  He gathered his angling friends together and held a meeting at the Glandover Pub on the Gadlys, the meeting was a success, a further meeting was held at the Ambulance Hall in Depot Road, and the Aberdare and District Angling Association was born.  Dr. Steen was voted chairman a position he was to hold for nearly 30 years his interest eventually extended to the neighbouring River Taff.  He saw his dream come true all right….. not only did the Cynon once more become a river fit for anglers, but the powers that be so recognised his genuine love of nature and his ingrained hatred of pollution that made him a member of the Glamorgan Rivers Board and up to his fatal illness he was a staunch supporter of nature conservation in all aspects becoming a member of the Welsh National Water Development Authority.

And as long as the men who accompanied him on his angling expeditions loved angling and loved nature.  That was all that mattered.  He did not care, or ask, or wish to know, their station in life. that was utterly unimportant.  Unmistakably so, this made him one of nature’s true gentlemen.

Dr. Ross Steen

A family doctor at Aberdare for some 40 years.  Dr. James Ross Steen aged 62 died suddenly while on holiday.  He lived in Ardnalee, Cwmbach Road. He has been a widower for two years and only daughter Deldre lives in Swansea.  She and her husband have two children.

The War.

He was a Lieutenant Colonel in World War Two, serving in Burma he was mentioned in despatches.  Three times he was blown up by emy mines and wounded.  He came to Aberdare after a brief period as ship’s captain.  When the war came he went to Dr. Harry Banks and said he wanted to join the medical corps.

Older people will recall that when he first came to Aberdare he was anaesthetist to Dr. Harry Banks who was at the time one of the local GP surgeons performing operations at the hospital.

The death of Dr. Ross Steen at the comparatively early age of 62 was a tremendous loss to Aberdare, an inestimable loss, because there was so much more medical skill and dedicated service that he would have wish to given.

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