Barely a ripple in Julia Gillard's old home town in Wales The main street of Barry, near the tiny Welsh village of Cwmgwrach, Neath, translated as Valley of Witches, where Julia Gillard grew up before family migrated to Australia in 1960s. ALUN Gillard thought about three weeks ago things were possible going awry for his relative on the other side of the world in Australia. He saw a neighbour walking with another woman along the High Street in his Welsh village of Cwmgwrach when he politely asked who she was. "This is my sister, she is visiting from Australia and she hates your cousin," the neighbour replied. He hadn't heard from Julia Gillard, his father Billie's first cousin, for sometime but just thought as Prime Minister how could anything be wrong. Yesterday he heard how. The witch on broomstick entrance sign to the tiny Welsh village of Cwmgwrach, Neath, translated as Valley of Witches. "It wasn't really a shock, we weren't keeping in touch like you know," the local school caretaker said of his fellow redhead relative. I'm not really interested in politics personally but I started to hear bits and pieces and I heard she had upset a few people. Was she that bad? Ms Gillard's Welsh roots are in the small village of Cwmgrach in south Wales where some relatives still live and coal mines once thrived. When she became Prime Minister, the tiny village off the A465 highway near Neath basked in the attention they were receiving from 12,000 miles away but years later and her dumping barely rated a mention in the rounds of local gossip. Alun Gillard, son of Billy Gillard, Julia Gillard's cousin in the village of Cwmgwrach in Wales where Julia Gillard is from. Picture: Ella Pellegrini Source: Supplied There was talk of the weather, sheep, the local supermarket from the village next door closing down and demise of the number of youth in Scouts. In the local pub there was more talk about why it was Quade Cooper had been left out of the Wallabies against the "Welsh Lions" than anything else. "Oh Jesus there was talk, oh aye, lots of talk when she became Prime Minister but nobody has heard a thing now," said local publican Brendan Horgan. At the front bar another Julia relative and local master silicon applicator Wayne Gillard said he was not allowed a radio on site when he was working so hadn't heard the news until told by News Limited. Pensioner Eithwen Loughlin, walking with her dog Arthur, had heard about the dismissal of their former local girl on the radio news but couldn't care. Eithwen Loughlin with dog Arthur. "Politics is a dirty business whether it's in this country or another like Australia, they are all the same and they will stab you in the back to get what they want," she said. Local park caretaker Julie had also earlier heard the reports. "That's a shame," she mused before talking on more pressing issues. A farmhouse in the tiny Welsh village of Cwmgwrach, Neath, where Julia Gillard's father grew up and where she was born before family migrated to Australia in 1960s. At the local supermarket they had never heard of Julia Gillard but remarked there appeared to be a few Gillards about the place. Now living in the former Gillard family farm house, Steve Cox, was proud her family once lived in their two-storey stone home. "We knew she was a local girl, it's great her family lived here," Mr Cox said. Steve Cox, owner of the place once owned by the Gillard family. She was initially well liked wasn't she, she must have done something wrong. Oh well. Another local, who did not wish to be named, summed up the mood: "It's the Welsh way, nobody really cares about that sort of stuff. You could have our own Prime Minister come through here and we would say 'hi' and go about our business.