By Michel Outridge

THE Loncke family are residents of Timehri Docks old Government Housing Scheme which consists of more than 30 houses.

The family consists of three siblings and their mother. Nicola Loncke stated that the village has only one street and one shop and if they need things, they have to go to the “Road Front” to make the necessary purchases, or go by the Timehri Neighbourhood Market.

She only returned to the village recently and has constructed a house aback her sister’s property; the house in which she grew up.

“I wasn’t here for years because I moved away to Albouystown and I only came back recently and I am trying to adjust to this country-life setting,” she said.

Nicola explained that the houses in her small village were built by the then government and members of the Disciplined Services. Senior postal workers and other government workers used to reside in the houses, but over the years they passed away and their children and other family members now occupy the houses.

She added that her father used to live in the house her sister now occupies. He worked with the region for 40 years and after his retirement, he passed away some years ago.

The village has electricity and potable water services and most people who live there grew up at the location; while some of the houses were modified, some have remained the same.

Her sibling Mark Loncke told the Pepperpot Magazine that he would like to benefit from the basic necessities such as potable water and electricity, but the documents to the home are in his late father’s name; as such, the utility companies are very reluctant to offer their services.

Mark Loncke is a corporal attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Camp Stephenson and is a native of the old Government Housing Scheme.

He stated that the Loncke had family moved to the village since 1979 and the small village has taken on an aged look, as the condition of the buildings has since been subject to deterioration over the years. On the next corner is Lions Road. This stretch is a mile long in which a section of the road is loom and is impassable.

However, a contract for road works was awarded to Puran Brothers Company and the project is expected to commence soon.
Down Lions Road, Timehri, the Pepperpot Magazine met Lawrence Phang, a citrus farmer, who, despite having only one leg, is not prevented from performing his chores.

The 72-year-old, before the accident that cost him his leg, used to work as a driver and also worked with Texaco, re-fuelling planes at the CJIA.

Phang reported that 33 years ago they had a large farm at the South Dakota Circuit area and his brother set up a gun trap for wild animals that were invading the farm and he didn’t tell anybody.

Phang went into the farm and the gun trap went off and it hit his leg but caused no broken bones. However, he said that his injuries were not tended to as they should have been and his leg became infected and it had to be amputated.

He explained that he has a prosthetic leg, but it is not very comfortable and it doesn’t allow him to perform certain tasks; as such, he prefers to be aided by crutches, so he can manoeuvre and do manual labour on his farm.

“This is an everyday job, keep our selves occupied by doing our own land clearing, planting and moulding among other things. Is just me and my wife and it is hard work to maintain a farm,” he said.

Phang has crops of tangerines, oranges, limes, coconuts and some fruit and said the market isn’t readily available for his produce.

The pensioner related that farming is his only source of income and he is originally from the North West District. He grew up at Friendship, East Bank Demerara and after marriage settled at Lions Road, Timehri.

“Most people that live here are natives and they work at sawmills, Bounty Farm Limited and other places; we have a few farmers here and it is a very quiet place to live,” he said.