PRE-HISTORIC SKELETONS
(Guyana Chronicle February 5, 1980)
Eighteen human skeletons which can be of utmost archaeological importance in the interpretation of matters relating to the influence of the environment on man, the effects of diet and the incidence of disease have been discovered in the North West District.They were found during investigations by the Department of Culture in its second field season in the Barabina Shell Middens which are the earliest known settled areas in Guyana.
The discovery of the skeletons probably represents continuous occupation of the Barabina site for a period of more than 6,000 years.
Consequently the study of these middens is of extreme importance in restructuring the history of Guyana, the Department said.
In addition to their vital importance to Guyanese these areas are also believed to be located along the hypothetical “Migratory Route” used by the first settlers in the Americas.

THE PROHPET AND THE PRIEST
(Guyana Chronicle February 8, 1980)
Deo Narine, a priest of the Kalimai Church in Better Hope has challenged the claim of teenaged Yusuff Ally of Weldaad Village West Coast Berbice who claims to have psychic powers.
The priest said in an interview that he doubted the claim following a trip he made on January 26 to Weldaad to visit the boy.
‘He said that he thought they could have carried on a healthy conversation together since they both belonged to the same church and shared the same knowledge.
Instead of this, he said, Ally chased him out of the house and refused to have a single word with him..
Narine said that he did not put faith in claims by people that the boy healed them and reports by his relatives that he walked on water, often had a cobra round his neck, had the power of disappearing and turned people into dogs.
“He says that he casts Katarie Queen of the Jungle out of many people when Katarie is really the Queen of the Sea and not a spirit,” Mr. Narine said.
Mr. Narine claimed that the people who belonged to the Kalimai Faith did not believe Ally’s story and they would not believe it until Yusuff Ally “performs” in their presence.
He has asked Government officials to intervene and allow them to interview the boy in their presence so as to settle the matter once and for all whether the prophet is true or false.

LOCAL TETANUS DEATHS ON THE DECLINE
(Guyana Chronicle February 6, 1980)
The incidents of death from tetanus at the Georgetown Hospital have declined according to Medical Superintendent Dr. Walter Chin.
This he said was mainly due to the countrywide immunization campaign against tetanus and which is being carried out by the Ministry of Health and a campaign at the Georgetown Hospital which was started in 1973 and was headed by Dr. John Yoo.
Dr Chin said that 78 cases of tetanus were admitted to the hospital in 1973 of which 16 died.
In 1977 fifteen of the twenty three cases admitted to the Hospital died while in 1978 eleven of the twenty four cases admitted to the Georgetown Hospital died.
Last year six of the sixteen cases admitted to the Georgetown Hospital died.
The Superintendent said that at the Georgetown Hospital nurses give tetanus toxide to anyone who had not been previously immunised.
He went on to say that tetanus deaths would be greatly reduced if those persons who have not had their shots of anti-tetanus serum, did so now.

HERBS ASSOCIATION TO BE SET UP
(Guyana Chronicle January 19, 1980)
Guyana is to have an Association that focuses attention on ways in which traditional healers and herbalists can contribute to health care in the country using local herbs and medicines.
A steering committee has been set up to organise the launching of the Association which is to be known as the National Association of Traditional Healers and Herbalists.
The aim of the Association is to prepare a paper on the use of herbs in Guyana, contribute to the production of a book on herbs –now being written- and contribute to the wider use of local herbs, the Association said.
The Association will also seek to encourage farmers to produce herbs that could be used for medicinal purposes and to identify herbs that can be used as drugs and chemicals or in their manufacture to save foreign exchange.

BUTTERFLY STAMPS TO BE RELEASED TOMORROW
(Guyana Chronicle January 28, 1980)
The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) has announced that the new definitive stamps for 1980 will be released tomorrow.
The stamps which are of the butterfly series will be released in three values: 30c, 60c and $10.00.
The release of these three additional values will bring to a total number of 14 the number of values in the present definitive series.
Definitive stamps are those stamps which are used more or less on a permanent basis.
New issues are released approximately every five years.

RESCUED AFTER TWELVE HOURS ON A “BUOY”
(Guyana Chronicle January 26, 1980)
A 29-year old seaman was rescued yesterday by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) after clinging to a lifebuoy for more than twelve hours in the Atlantic and a search was continuing last night for two more members of the crew of the fishing trawler “Sea Knight” which sank about 11 miles from Georgetown.
Aubrey Rudder of Princess Street Wortmanville was rescued by the crew of the GDF vessel “Peccari” around noon after the crew of an ocean going vessel saw him clinging to the lifebuoy
Rudder who was brought to the Maritime Command at Ruimveldt shortly after the rescue operation, said that he lost sight of his crew mates Captain Claude King-Davis of South Ruimveldt Park and Fazal Shaheed of James Street Albuoystown.
He told the Chronicle that shortly before eleven o’clock Thursday night the Captain discovered that the vessel had sprung a leak and was listing heavily.
According to Rudder, they decided to abandon ship and loaded their belongings in a life boat which rode alongside the “Sea Knight,” a Georgetown Seafoods Ltd. trawler.
Rudder said the lifeboat drifted away and he clung to a life raft on the sinking trawler and tried to grab the life boat but failed.
Then the “Sea Knight” capsised and he lost sight of Captain King-Davis and Shaheed, he said.
Around eleven o’clock yesterday morning Captain Rouchie Adams of the GDF Maritime Command said his vessel picked up signals from an ocean-going ship “Clara” which said that a man had been spotted clinging to a lifebuoy.
Immediately Captain Adams and a crew left on the “Peccari” to carry out the rescue operation while the “Clara” remained in the area to keep an eye on the man who turned out to be Rudder.
The “Peccari” picked up Rudder shortly before noon.
Captain Adams said that a search of the area was made but the other two crew members were not found.
Late yesterday afternoon another search was made by the “Peccari” but this proved fruitless.
An official of Georgetown Seafoods said the 72-foot “Sea Knight” had left Georgetown on December 18 on a fishing expedition.
The trawler was returning with its catch when it sank.

NEW BUILDING TO REPLACE 150-YR. OLD KETLEY CHURCH
(Guyana Chronicle February 7, 1980)
The 150-year old structure which housed the Ketley Congregational Church on Drysdale Street Charlestown is to be dismantled and a new building put in its place.
Rev. W.P(Jack) Smith currently Chairman of the Guyana Congregational Union has said dismantling operations will start next month.
No timetable has been fixed for the construction of the new building but it is expected to be smaller than the present one.
Ketley Congregational Church was started in 1830 by the late Rev. Robert Ketley under the umbrella of the then British Guiana Congregational Union as part of the London Missionary Society.
For many years it divorced itself from the Guyana Congregational Union and the last permanent pastor was the late Rev. A.T Peters who was also a barrister-at-law.
Following his death activities at the Church had been dormant until recently when Rev. Smith was appointed Minister to the Church.
Clifford Stanley can be reached to discuss any of the foregoing articles at cliffantony@gmail.com or cell phone # 657 2043.
By Clifford Stanley