Den Amstel Community Centre renamed for Ursula Forbes
THE Hague/Blankenburg Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) has renamed the Den Amstel Community Centre, on West Coast Demerara, Ursula Forbes Recreation Centre. The announcement was made last Sunday during a three and a half hours long religious service, conducted by Reverend Valeska Austin in the Ebenezer Congregational Church, Den Amstel, to celebrate the centenary of the woman for whom the facility is named. The citation said it was in recognition of the honoree’s contribution to community life.

Amazingly healthy and vibrant for her 100 years, Ursula Forbes reached the milestone that day but when the Guyana Chronicle visited her days before, the good humoured senior citizen was also in an exuberant mood.
How did she feel about turning 100 years old? Ursula said she was really excited that she has reached the remarkable age in good health. Even though she complained that her hands are a bit numb, she has no serious complaints such as diabetes or hypertension.
She suffers a hearing impediment but nothing is affecting her sight.
A resident of quiet Den Amstel, who has lived about 90 of her 100 years in the village, Ursula got married at the age of 23 to Mr. Ulric Forbes, a sugar boiler and the first of their five children was born in the same year, 1934. She opted to stay at home and be a good housewife.
She was well known for her cooking and proudly boasts of her culinary skills in jobs at Leonora and Cornelia Ida also on West Coast Demerara and Watooka House, at Mackenzie, Linden.
“They even wanted to carry me to Canada but my children objected,” she recalled about her stint in the Upper Demerara River bauxite industry.
However, she, subsequently went with her son, Eldon, to the United States (U.S.), where she spent about 10 years, before returning home with him when he resigned his employment there.
In the past, Den Amstel was a popular place inhabited by teachers, sugar boilers, seamstresses and carpenters, Ursula remembered.
Today, she acknowledges that her children, daughter Doreen included, pamper her. “They don’t let me do anything, not even make the bed.” And it is clear to see that Ursula is, indeed ‘Queen of the Castle’ wearing her pretty dress, matching earrings, manicured nails and relatives fussing around her.
She likes to watch television, her favourite shows being the soap operas ‘All My Children’, ‘One Life to Live’ and the talk show ‘Oprah’. Ursula declared she was in America before Oprah Winfrey became rich and famous.
Still having a hearty appetite, she loves to eat and her favourite dish is foo-foo soup (containing balls of pounded plantains).
Ursula is blessed to have lived a full life and has many memories of good times on trips to places like Parika, East Bank Essequibo and participating in activities organised by the ‘Sunshine Club’, a social group in her native community.
Housed in the residence of the Flemming family, the organisation taught boys and girls the Foxtrot, Square, Box and more dances and the baker Damon, from the neighbouring Blankenburg, used to host excursions elsewhere, while teacher Enid Abrahams of Parika staged other social events.
Ursula named Jack James, Tom Charles and the Syncopators and Harry Whittaker among the popular musicians decades ago and said one of her brothers, Oscar Adams, always promoted an Old Year’s Night ball, which was a big occasion in the community with live bands playing.
About Easter in those olden days in her community, she related: “Good Friday we used to go to church. Mother would make cross buns and, when we came home we would have coffee with it. Then, on Sunday, we would have a church concert and, on Monday, we would fly kites,” Ursula reminisced. (Michelle Gonsalves)