–Town celebrates 223 years of existence

THE East Berbice town of New Amsterdam on Monday celebrated 223 years of being in existence . Originally Nieu Amsterdam, the town was established by the Dutch in 1791, making it the oldest town in Guyana.

The municipality of New Amsterdam was established on September 1st 1891, exactly one hundred years after the township was established. Its first mayor was Neil Ross McKennon, but there has since been a total of sixty-three mayors after him. The current Mayor is His Worship Mr Claude Henry.

In observance of the municipality’s 123rd Anniversary, a thanksgiving service was held on September 1 at the historic town hall.
Since 2000, the Mayor and Town Council of New Amsterdam (M&TC) has been holding Town Week celebrations during the month of September as part of the town’s celebrations.

The site of Nieu Amsterdam was chosen by the Dutch to erect a town in the eighteen century because of its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and because it presented a strategic location for security on the colony. On September 1st, then Governor declared Nieu Amsterdam a town. However, the municipality never came into existence until a century later.

(Michael Khan)