Saturday’s Gala Ball was enjoyed by 150 people, entertained by the beautiful voice of Ana Messias and the music of The New Orleans Jazz Band.
Here is a selection of photographs.
Interestingly, the final photograph shows John Morgan with his wife and mother.
John’s mother Mimi, with her husband, are believed to be the first British ‘estrangeiros’ to settle here.
As we revealed in our History Of Vale Da Telha which you can read elsewhere on the website:

John Morgan’s parents moved to their new holiday home in Vales in 1970 on the car ferry MV Eagle which sailed from Southampton to Lisbon, and on to Tangier. 

While on board for the three-day, two-night voyage they were able to buy cigarettes—British or American—for 16d a packet of 20 and to enjoy drinks like whisky, port, gin, vodka at 10d a glass or 12d for a Martell or Courvoisier cognac. 

If you wanted a cold beer that came at 8d for a half pint of Double Diamond, and remember–this was when £1 comprised 240 “d”, or old pence! 

All meals were included and fares were offered from £49 for a 6-night mini-cruise. 

Yes, it WAS that long ago! 

It was the pre-decimalisation early 70s to be exact—the MV Eagle’s service ran from May 1970 to September 1975, departing every Saturday—and decimalisation day was February 15 1971. 

(Incidentally, I think most of us wish there still was a UKto Lisboncar ferry service each week!—Memo to Brittany Ferries and P&O) 

But John’s parents, Gerard and Mimosa (“Mimi”), had already been coming to Portugalfor almost 15 years, after tossing a coin before one holiday to decide whether it should be spent in Franceor in Portugal. 

This was 1958 and after ending up in Caxias, Lisbon—not far from the old Ponte 25 da Abril bridge across the Tagus—they met a young, just-engaged Portuguese couple, Amando and ‘Ciette Lamego, who were to become lifelong friends of the Morgan family. 

In fact Amando and ‘Ciette would visit the Morgans in South Wales, sailing from Lisbonto Tilbury, another alternative route in those days. 

But more importantly they also introduced John’s mother and father to Vale da Telha in 1969, because they enjoyed coming to the area on holiday to hunt wild game and wanted to share the experience. 

They all stayed in what was to become Gabriel’s restaurant in Vales (originally Vales da Fontes and since shortened to Vales) but was then a bar and b&b. It was also the district post office where locals picked up their mail, and left items to be collected for delivery. 

There was also a beer garden fronting the road, and sacks of rice, grain and animal feed were sold to the locals who farmed land that ran in strips down towards the sea. 

The Morgans fell in love with the area and decided to have a holiday home here, eventually buying a plot of land in the lane behind Gabriel’s in 1969 and having a house built—the house that still exists today, albeit modernised and enlarged. 

The Morgans and a German family, the Schumanns are believed to be the first foreigners to settle here. In fact, when John’s parents moved into their new holiday home there was no other property between that house in Vales, and the main road! The Schumanns’ house is the one now owned by Doug “the Dish”.  At that period in the 70’s the minimum amount of land you could buy was 5000 m2. This was so you could be self-sufficient

So, it was a special pleasure to see Mimi, now aged 94, at the Gala Ball on her latest trip back to Vale da Telha.