A grand celebration of community pride & progress…
–    President Jagdeo to attend
MAKING good again on one of the several promises he made to Buxtonians during a historic outreach to that community on 18th August of this year, President Bharrat Jagdeo will this afternoon attend the ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony to kickstart  the rebuilding and  refurbishing of Tipperary Hall in Buxton, much to the satisfaction of the residents of that once-besieged community. Most of his other promises have already been fructified, some beginning immediately after the meeting.

QUOTE:“All in all I think that the visit by the President was important because we were able to address numerous concerns that the villagers had, and I believe in my gut that the President would hold true to his word.” – Mboya Wood

The Tipperary Hall is a famous centre in the village with a history dating back more than 80 years, serving as an arena for community meetings, church services, parties, receptions and other cultural events. The venue was also available to similar events organised by residents of communities outside of Buxton.
Located south on the Church of God road in Buxton, the hall was once the headquarters of the Buxton/Friendship Burial Society.
Over the years, however, the hall became dormant and began a rapid deterioration as other popular venues competed as the preferred choice. There have in the past been concerted efforts to resuscitate the dilapidated venue with inputs from Buxtonians in the Diaspora.
Presidential advisor on Community Development, Mr. Odinga Lumumba, on Friday October 29 conducted a pre-bid site meeting on the grounds of Tipperary Hall. Joining Lumumba were the nine contractors who intended to bid for the contract to erect the new structure, as well as community leaders and other Buxtonians. Lumumba said that the site meeting was as per government regulations so that the bids submitted would be in relation to the site and not be done in abstraction.
The project consultant was Phyllis Bacchus. Project Design and Construction.   Andre Howard Construction Services, Jagatnarian Singh, William Wilson, VI Graham and Associates, Eagle Transport and General Construction, Atlas Construction, Pioneer Construction Services, and Jakeshan construction were the interested contractors. They were given until November 9 to submit their bids.
Lumumba had said on that occasion that this was the first step in the process of fulfilling another commitment made by the Jagdeo administration to the people of Buxton, adding that government has always understood the importance of the community of Buxton in the development of Guyana and had placed the reconstruction of Tipperary Hall in its correct historical context.  Credit, Lumumba said, must be given to those individuals who were the catalysts for the revival of the Hall.
Ronald Young recalled that Tipperary Hall was built by the children of ex-slaves more than 85 years ago and was primarily a benevolent society. Malcolm Parris added that it evolved into a meeting place for political and social gatherings. He noted that the Hall also provided a base for education as most of the social clubs met there.
The new concrete two-storey facility that will be constructed, following today’s sod-turning exercise, will have the same size and width as the old building but would be multi-functional and, in addition to the many historical uses, would also include a library, an office, classrooms for computer training, a lavatory block and auditorium with stage, changing-room, and a bar.

The design for the project went to public tender and, following this process, a  contractor was appointed.
Vice president of the Tipperary Hall Management Committee, Victor Graham, had said that the residents were elated at the progress made in the plans to construct the facility, noting the timeliness of government’s intervention.
The committee is made up of five members of the village, and one each from the government and the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).

Lumumba said the project is one that is “long overdue” and he also commended the timeliness of the project. “We are doing this for the community and we hope it will enable the community to accomplish many things,” Lumumba said.
Among the other promises kept to the residents by the President were a bank of computers and a quantity of instruments for steel pan, which were handed over to representatives from different organisations in the village in September. The groups included representatives from the churches, Buxton Youth Developers and the Toucan II Multipurpose Club.
The Head-of-State had expressed admiration about the large number of volunteer groups in the community, noting that it is a good sign of interest, which is lacking in many other communities on the East Coast of Demerara.
In an interview with the Chronicle, chief initiator of the movement to restore Buxton to its glory days, Mboya Wood , in speaking  of his motivation for precipitating initiatives that could result in a healing of the national soul and eventuate in the concretization of our motto; so ably crafted by the late Brindley Benn:  “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”, had explained that one of the reasons that he was inspired to initiate the visit to Buxton by President Jagdeo was because he felt that this is a time for healing in the nation, and that whatever animosity there existed should be relegated to the past, calling this rapprochement the birth of a new day and a time for reaching across a sharing hand so that President Jagdeo could now be welcomed into Buxton.

According to Mr. Wood, the visit by President Jagdeo in Buxton in August this year could be described as a circle because it was facilitated by Mr. Lumumba, himself a Buxtonian, who had arranged, on August 11th, a one-on-one discussion between the President and Mr. Wood.
Alluding to the period of trauma which the village had gone through since 2002, Mr. Wood said that the society is intent on reclaiming its former prominence in the national construct, and that the perception was that it was time “when we can reach across the floor and extend the hand of unity so that some of these problems can be addressed.
“Sitting on the street corner and politicking is not the solution to Buxtonians’ problems.  The plight they are in…the needs of the villagers are vast, humongous. They need economic empowerment; they need a number of issues with regard to education to be addressed, among others.  The only way I felt that these burning issues could be adequately addressed was by inviting President Jagdeo to listen to Buxtonians articulate their concerns; also to demonstrate that Buxtonians are not monsters but living persons – Guyanese like everyone else, people who are ready and willing to move forward and put the past behind them. This is what this visit was all about and not some opportunistic scheme on the part of anyone.
“Buxtonians want to show that they do not want hand-outs; that they are not looking to stay home and receive hand-outs, but to be afforded opportunities to empower themselves.
“And President Jagdeo has responded by offering a number of services by way of which single parents can access assistance to educate themselves and establish businesses.  What has not been written about is the fact that, prior to President Jagdeo’s visit, he had instructed that a number of organizations like WoW, the social services department, representatives in the agriculture sector, the department of education and others make their services available on the 9th August at the Roman Catholic school to address some of the needs and concerns that were articulated by Buxtonians.  Many took the opportunity to apply for loans that could help them to advance economically through these trying times.
“A strong education committee was put together to deal with the issues of children left untended while single parents work; issues relating to truancy and its causes.  This committee met with the Ministry of Education on 16th August.  At that meeting heads of schools and parents expressed concerns in relation to their areas of responsibility and solutions to those problems were proposed.”
Mr. Wood had said that he is in possession of the list of proposals and that the grouping that is organizing these initiatives would be following up on future developments.
Stating that he felt Buxtonians were very happy with the President’s visit, Mr. Wood said some of the concerns of the people were dealt with on the spot, citing an instance when a farmer complained of constant flooding of his fields, after which a team was sent to investigate.  According to Mr. Wood, he had accompanied the investigating team, which included Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn, and the experts concluded that the pump being used was inadequate and would be replaced.
“All in all, I think that the visit by the President (in August) was important because we were able to address numerous concerns that the villagers had, and I believe in my gut that the President would hold true to his word.”
Mr. Wood said that all his interactions with President Jagdeo were very cordial, and that he had gathered from their discussions that the Head-of-State meant what he was saying and that his every instinct told him that the President genuinely, “in his heart, felt that there is a definite need that Buxtonians have, and he is prepared to address it, forthright.  I think he is going to deliver on his word.
“One, he has articulated his concern for the Tipperary project and has decided to put his soul into seeing that project come to fruition.  Also, he has indicated his concern about the drainage and irrigation problems, which I had raised with him, and has indicated that efforts are being made, and would continue to be made, to address this issue; but one also has to bear in mind that D & I interventions are not  overnight phenomena, and climate change is a very real factor.”

Mr. Wood continued: “In my analysis, I have found President Jagdeo to be very sincere and, all in all, it is my conviction that working in cooperation with the government is the best solution to develop the community of Buxton and for the future of this young generation.
“I have put aside all the politicking and am prepared to take all the flak coming from anywhere, because I have no apologies to make to anyone for the direction I have taken.  I think this is the only solution to stop the retrogression in the Buxton community.  This is the dawning of a new day for Buxton.  I am convinced that we should have no hatred for each other – just love.  There was so much love radiating between the President and the people that day that it was unbelievable.
“It was a day when Buxtonians actually felt free to ask for something with the expectation of getting something in response.  This community has suffered for a long time and I think this is a time when healing should take place.  This is a time when we need to lay our fears and doubts behind us and move ahead.”
At the meeting on August 18, the Buxton Community High School resonated with positive energy as the President was greeted by drumming and shouts of “Ham Jambo” and “Karibu” (welcome) to our President.
“Buxtonians, the President is in the house; today is a historic day for Buxton!” was the rallying cry of Ms Thomas-Holder, to tumultuous applause from the audience “…and I feel real good……This is a long-overdue day.  This is a day that we waited for too long.”
Buxtonians no longer have to wait too long, because President Jagdeo is delivering on promises made to the people of Buxton with appreciable timelines.