Prime Minister Samuel Hinds interacts with Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) staffers during a visit to one of the Commission’s environmental awareness booths.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds Saturday joined mining stakeholders and Barticians to celebrate porkknockers’ contributions to the development of Guyana at the annual PorkKnocker’s Day celebration held at  the Bartica Regatta Pavilion, Region Seven.

The event concluded the seven days of activities hosted by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) under the theme “Improving Methods, Satisfying Securing Prosperity for the sector,” to mark the history and achievements of the mining sector to the country.

The highlights of the event were several competitions including cooking, batelling competition, jigging, camp building and warishi and tacouba crossing races for miners.

Prime Minister Hinds, who is also the minister responsible for mining, said miners are workers like anyone else; they go out into the hinterland in pioneering conditions, and they live under tents, and work hard away from their homes; and therefore, they  should not compromise their families and must live responsible lives.

Barticians participating in shovelling competition

“We need to aim to leave places at least no worse than when we came on the scene and we also have to think about protecting others around us. There are people in villages in the hinterland and people in villages along the coast who speak of men who would go to mining and when they come back, they come back worse off.”

He said, “ I do have the feeling that 2009 is the year when miners particularly, small and medium scale miners, are making a turn when they are accepting that they can do the things that we used to do before … better. We can do it better, we can all be better off for mining, and for managing our lifestyles and for making a change in our lifestyles.”

GGMC’s Commissioner (ag) William Woolford also called on the miners to mine responsibly, with health and safety in mind and have respect for communities and other miners.

As part of mining week activities, a National Mining and Quarrying Conference, a Mining Discussion forum and an exhibition at the Girl Guides Pavilion in the city were held. (GINA)