English: Extraordinary, inspirational, genuine, brilliant, original, unique: all adjectives that have been used to describe Rhodri in the hundreds of tributes I've read over the past few days, each one an accurate description of him. I met both Julie and Rhodri 20 years ago in the 'Yes for Wales' campaign. I then worked on Rhodri's two leadership campaigns back in 1998 and 1999, the history of which is very well known. However, Rhodri absolutely believed his time would come, often quoting one of his beloved sporting analogies, 'Three tries for a Welshman', which indeed turned out to be the case. When he became First Minister in February 2000, he ensured devolution - still very much in its infancy - worked for everyone in Wales, by steadying the ship and providing exceptional leadership. Devolution will be his political legacy. Without him, it would have been a much more difficult journey. I was privileged to be elected by the people of Wrexham to serve under Rhodri in 2007. Rhodri and Julie really encouraged me to put myself forward to be an elected representative. So, I owe him a great deal and I will never forget his personal support and encouragement over the last two decades. I often sought his advice and wisdom, and I remember, during one particularly unpleasant day during an election campaign, when opponents were hurling personal insults, that he heard about this and rang me to tell me to rise above it and remember that politics was about playing the ball and not the man - yet another sporting analogy. Even though I am still shocked and saddened at his sudden death, it is not possible to think of Rhodri for long without remembering a story to make you smile. And there are so many of those stories to provide comfort at this time. On his many visits to Wrexham, he often called at my house to see us. One Sunday, he had been to meet with individuals affected by severe flooding and arrived hoping to have a roast Sunday lunch before heading home to south Wales. However, it was my daughter's sixth birthday, so no Sunday lunch was on offer, just a chaotic house, and, typically, he rolled up his sleeves, helped prepare for the birthday party and cleaned the kitchen afterwards. Colleagues who were here pre 2011 will remember, as Carwyn said, that Rhodri chose never to switch his computer on whilst he was First Minister. Someone would do it for him and he simply pressed the buttons to vote. However, following his retirement as First Minister, he decided that he really needed to start sending e-mails. On the Friday after he stepped down, he e-mailed me congratulating me on my appointment as a Deputy Minister, telling me that this was the first e-mail he'd ever sent and I should treasure it. On our return after the Christmas recess, Rhodri sat directly behind me in the Chamber, and often used to ask me, in a very loud whisper, did I fancy a cuppa, much to the consternation of the then Presiding Officer. So, I decided to show him how to use the messaging system we have in the Chamber and he then decided that I should be his 24/7 ICT support - a job I was really happy to do, as it was the first thing I'd ever been able to do better than him. Rhodri was down to earth, with no airs and graces, truly a man of the people, and passionate about Wales and her people. It didn't matter which village, town or city in Wales that you visited with him, he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of that place, and invariably spoke to people, finding a cousin or an old family friend. He made everyone feel comfortable and at ease and that's why he was such a popular politician, known everywhere just by his first name. His loss is felt by so many people, which was emphasised to me on a visit to Wrexham Maelor Hospital last Thursday, when six people, none of whom I knew, just stopped me on the corridor to tell me that they felt they'd lost a friend, even though they'd never met him. It was a pleasure to be in his company and listen to his stories. He was always happy to share his vast wisdom and knowledge with you. I valued his friendship and will miss him greatly. But of course his top priority in life was his family, to whom he was devoted. Mine and my daughter's thoughts are with Julie and all his family at this incredibly difficult time. Thank you for everything, Rhodri. Sleep well, comrade.
Welsh: Arbennig, ysbrydoledig, didwyll, gwych, gwreiddiol, unigryw: pob un yn ansoddeiriau a ddefnyddiwyd i ddisgrifio Rhodri yn y cannoedd o deyrngedau i mi eu darllen yn ystod y dyddiau diwethaf, a phob un yn ddisgrifiad cywir ohono. Fe wnes i gwrdd â Julie a Rhodri 20 mlynedd yn ôl yn yr ymgyrch 'Ie dros Gymru'. Yna gweithiais ar ddwy ymgyrch arweinyddiaeth Rhodri yn ôl ym 1998 a 1999, ac mae hanes hynny yn adnabyddus iawn. Fodd bynnag, roedd Rhodri yn credu yn bendant y byddai ei amser yn dod, gan ddyfynnu un o'r cyffelybiaethau o fyd chwaraeon yr oedd mor hoff ohono, 'Tri chais i Gymro', ac yn wir, felly y bu hi. Pan ddaeth yn Brif Weinidog Cymru ym mis Chwefror 2000, fe sicrhaodd fod datganoli - a oedd yn dal i fod yn ei ddyddiau cynnar - yn gweithio dros bawb yng Nghymru, drwy lywio'r llong a rhoi arweinyddiaeth eithriadol. Datganoli fydd ei etifeddiaeth wleidyddol. Hebddo fe, byddai wedi bod yn daith llawer mwy anodd. Cefais y fraint o gael fy ethol gan bobl Wrecsam i wasanaethu o dan Rhodri yn 2007. Fe wnaeth Rhodri a Julie wir fy annog i gynnig fy hun i fod yn gynrychiolydd etholedig. Felly, mae gennyf ddyled fawr iddo, ac ni fyddaf fyth yn anghofio ei gefnogaeth a'i anogaeth bersonol dros y ddau ddegawd diwethaf. Gofynnais yn aml ofyn am ei gyngor a'i ddoethineb, ac rwyf yn cofio, ar un diwrnod arbennig o annymunol yn ystod ymgyrch etholiadol, pan oedd gwrthwynebwyr yn taflu sarhad personol, iddo glywed am hyn a fy ffonio i ddweud wrthyf am godi uwchlaw hynny, a chofio bod gwleidyddiaeth yn ymwneud â chwarae'r bêl ac nid y dyn - cyfatebiaeth arall eto o fyd chwaraeon. Er fy mod yn dal i fod wedi fy syfrdanu ac yn drist oherwydd ei farwolaeth sydyn, nid oes modd meddwl yn hir am Rhodri heb gofio stori i wneud i chi wenu. Ac mae cymaint o'r straeon hynny i roi cysur ar yr adeg yma. Yn ystod ei ymweliadau lu â Wrecsam, galwai yn aml yn fy nhŷ i'n gweld ni. Un dydd Sul, roedd wedi bod yn cyfarfod ag unigolion a oedd wedi dioddef llifogydd difrifol. Fe gyrhaeddodd yn gobeithio cael cinio dydd Sul cyn mynd adref i'r de. Fodd bynnag, roedd hi'n ben-blwydd fy merch yn chwech oed, felly doedd dim cinio dydd Sul ar gael, dim ond tŷ anhrefnus, ac, fel arfer, fe dorchodd ei lewys, helpu i baratoi ar gyfer y parti pen-blwydd a glanhau'r gegin wedyn. Bydd cydweithwyr a oedd yma cyn 2011 yn cofio, fel y dywedodd Carwyn, fod Rhodri wedi dewis peidio byth â thanio'i gyfrifiadur pan oedd yn Brif Weinidog. Byddai rhywun yn gwneud hynny drosto, a byddai yntau'n syml yn pwyso'r botymau i bleidleisio. Fodd bynnag, ar ôl iddo ymddeol o fod y Prif Weinidog, penderfynodd ei fod yn hen bryd iddo ddechrau anfon negeseuon e-bost. Ar y dydd Gwener ar ôl iddo ildio'r awenau, anfonodd e-bost ataf yn fy llongyfarch ar gael fy mhenodi'n Ddirprwy Weinidog, gan ddweud wrthyf mai hwn oedd yr e-bost cyntaf iddo ei anfon erioed, ac y dylwn ei drysori. Wedi i ni ddychwelyd ar ôl egwyl y Nadolig, eisteddai Rhodri yn union y tu ôl i mi yn y Siambr, ac fe arferai ofyn i mi, gan sibrwd yn uchel iawn, a oedd awydd paned arna i, er mawr syndod i'r Llywydd ar y pryd. Felly, penderfynais ddangos iddo sut i ddefnyddio'r system negeseuon sydd gennym ni yn y Siambr, ac yna fe benderfynodd y dylwn fod yn gynorthwy-ydd Technoleg Gwybodaeth iddo, ar gael 24 awr y dydd, 7 diwrnod yr wythnos. Roedd hon yn swydd yr oeddwn yn fodlon iawn ei gwneud, gan mai dyma'r peth cyntaf erioed i mi allu ei wneud yn well nag ef. Roedd Rhodri yn berson di-lol efo'i draed ar y ddaear, ac roedd yn angerddol dros Gymru a'i phobl. Nid oedd ots pa bentref, tref neu ddinas yng Nghymru yr oeddech chi'n ymweld â hi gydag ef, roedd ganddo wybodaeth fel gwyddoniadur am y lle hwnnw, ac roedd yn siarad yn ddieithriad gyda phobl, gan ddod o hyd i gefnder neu hen gyfaill teuluol. Gwnâi i bawb deimlo'n gyfforddus ac yn gartrefol a dyna pam yr oedd yn wleidydd mor boblogaidd, a gai ei adnabod ym mhob man wrth ei enw cyntaf yn unig. Mae cymaint o bobl yn teimlo'r golled ar ei ôl. Amlygwyd hyn i mi ar ymweliad ag Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam ddydd Iau diwethaf, pan wnaeth chwech o bobl, pob un ohonynt yn ddieithr i mi, ddod ata i ar y coridor i ddweud wrthyf eu bod yn teimlo eu bod wedi colli cyfaill, er nad oedden nhw erioed wedi cwrdd ag ef. Roedd yn bleser bod yn ei gwmni a gwrando ar ei straeon. Roedd bob amser yn hapus i rannu ei ddoethineb a'i wybodaeth helaeth gyda chi. Roeddwn i'n gwerthfawrogi ei gyfeillgarwch a byddaf yn gweld hiraeth mawr ar ei ôl. Ond wrth gwrs, ei brif flaenoriaeth mewn bywyd oedd ei deulu, ac roedd mor driw iddyn nhw. Mae fy meddyliau i a fy merch gyda Julie a'i holl deulu ar yr adeg anodd iawn yma. Diolch i ti am bopeth, Rhodri. Cysga'n dda, frawd.