Two tournaments have been organised in memory of Tino Rosato – the popular sports-mad Cwmbran barber. Natalino (Tino) Rosato, aged 67, died in March of an infection three weeks after beating cancer at the University Hospital of Wales. The money raised at the events will go to the ward that cared for him.
Tino’s in Llanyrafon Shops
Tino moved from Italy to Wales in 1967 and couldn’t speak English. Mike, a friend of his father, ran the barbers in Llanyrafon and offered him a job. He spoke to his boss in Italian every time he heard a new word and wrote down the new words in notebook every day.
When Mike moved back to Italy in 1972 Tino took over the shop and it’s been in business ever since.
A childhood friend of Tino is Joe Vecchio who still runs the barbers in Fairwater shops to this day.
His son Lee started working in the shop alongside his father from the age of 14. Tino unofficially retired in his early 50s when he discovered golf and how good he was at it. He officially passed the shop on to his son when he became sick in 2013.
Children and grandchildren
He married Nancy in 1973 and they had two children, Lee and Natalie. Natalie said: “Although if you asked him, he would say he had four children, as he loved Lee’s wife, Claire and my partner Jamie as if they were his own. He had two grandchildren by his son, Joseph and his ‘little chick’ Francesca who was the absolute light of his life.”
His funeral notice in the South Wales Argus said: “Beloved husband and love of his life Nancy, devoted father of his heartbroken children Lee, Natalie, Claire and Jamie, adored nonno of Francesca, Joseph and Lisa and his great grandchildren, much loved brother of Maria Civita and Orlandino and all his family in Italy and Wales.”
Lee has always worked for his father and Natalie owns a recruitment agency, Rosato Recruitment, which she named after her father. In 2015 she opened up premises two doors down from Tino’s.
“Carol Singers doesn’t live here”
Natalie said: “Dad was hilarious, mostly unintentionally. His accent was very strong and he was always getting words wrong. He would often have everyone in hysterics. An example of this was at Christmas time when there was a knock at the door and dad answered and the lady said, ‘Carol singers’ and dad replied: ‘Wrong house love, Carol Singers doesn’t live here, I do” and shut the door in her face. He honestly didn’t know he had done anything wrong.”
“He had strong morals. He was kind and would do anything for anyone. You would be hard pushed to find anyone who would say something bad about him. He was respected and people loved him.
“He was so warm and welcoming. He was extremely driven and was the best at everything he did.”
“He was a competitive weightlifter in his younger days and later on with the golf, darts and snooker, his house became literally covered in trophies. When he got cancer, the amount of people that kept saying ‘but Tino can’t be sick’, because he was just so tough and invincible.
“He was fiercely protective of his family and used to go nuts if anyone swore in front of his wife or daughter but apparently had a mouth like a sailor when they weren’t around.”
President of Llanyrafon Football Club for over 30 years
Natalie said: “He was such a part of the community. He was president of Llanyrafon Football Club for over 30 years and was always doing things for charity or driving to the back of beyond to cut an old man’s hair who couldn’t leave his house anymore.
“He was so loyal, the first Welsh friend he made, Alan Jones was still one of his best friends when he passed away 49 years later. One of the most common comments made about my dad was about his smile, everyone always mentioned it, he literally lit up a room with his pearly whites.”
Tributes to Tino
Natalie said: “It was completely overwhelming to see all the things written about my dad when he died. As a family, we always knew how much we loved him. He was such a good role model for me and my brother but to see the love other people had for him was just unbelievable.”
“His family in Italy utterly adored him. It was like the prodigal son returning every time he went home.
400 people attended a mass in Italy and 600 people came to his funeral in Cwmbran
“They held a mass for him there which over 400 people showed up for a week before his funeral here where there were over 600 in attendance.
“It was an honour to have known him but an utter privilege to have been his daughter and the sense of pride I felt seeing what others thought of him was extremely comforting for all our family when we lost him. I think the reason both my brother and I were so proud of him was because he came from nothing. He had a very poor upbringing and to see the legacy he built and the sheer amount of people whose lives he touched.
“He was such a respected member of the community. At the funeral there were so many loyal customers, friends he made through business and sport and people I had never met coming up to me to tell me how much they looked up to him was incredible and very touching.”
Sports clubs across the area held a minute’s silence.
This video shows Llanyrafon Girls under tens paying tribute before a match.
https://www.facebook.com/CwmbranLife/videos/995537383865814/
Sports mad
Natalie said: “He was sports mad. If he wasn’t watching Liverpool he was playing golf, darts or snooker. He actually built a room in his house for a full-size snooker table and he played every day until he became sick.”
“The fact there is a Tino Rosato memorial golf day and darts competition being held in his honour (and becoming annual events) shows how respected he was. If he wasn’t playing sport he was in his allotment or with his family. He just loved being surrounded by his family with Francesca, his ‘little chick’ sat on his lap. He even learned to Facetime so he could see his family in Italy more often.”
“If he wasn’t playing sport he was in his allotment or with his family. He just loved being surrounded by his family with Francesca, his ‘little chick’ sat on his lap. He even learned to Facetime so he could see his family in Italy more often.”
“He was incredibly close to his older sister and his nieces and nephews in Italy. Even in Italy his house was surrounded by family. His sister lived on one side and two of his nieces lived in the same street and his daughter’s house was next door.”
Golf tournament
It’s being held on Sunday 11 September at Greenmeadow Golf Club. Entry is £30 which includes a bacon roll, coffee, round of golf and Sunday lunch. A raffle will raise cash for the B4 Haematology ward at the University of Wales Hospital. To enter or donate a prize to the raffle call 01633 749 640 or email [email protected]
This Facebook page has been set up for the event.
Darts tournament
It’s on Sunday 25 September at Cwmbran Workingmen’s Club. Entry is £6 and you can enter online at this website.
