JOSEPH Abrams, the first-ever black Mayor of the London borough of Merton, in England, took ill at his home at Granville Park, East Coast Demerara, and was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), where, after being warded for some time, he died at about 14:00 hrs on February 5th, 2012. He was 83 years old. Abrams had been unwell for some length of time, had suffered from paralysis, and had been confined to a wheelchair; but he had still been able to move his hands and to speak. He was buried in the St. Mary’s Church yard at Beterverwagting on Friday, 10th February 2012.
Many residents of his village of origin — Beterverwagting (BV), East Coast Demerara – have reflected on his sterling contributions to his home village, to the East Coast Demerara community in general, and to Guyana as a whole.

TRIBUTES
Among those paying tribute to the late Joseph Abrams was his long-time friend, Bruce Adams, a resident of Beterverwagting (BV) and Chairman of the BV/Triumph Neighbourhood Democratic Council (RDC).
Adams fondly spoke of happy times they had spent together, and reminisced on what a friend Abrams had been. Adams said Abrams was a very witty kind of fellow, and he had never ceased to be amazed by him.
Although Abrams had spent most of his life in London, he never neglected his homeland. Abrams was very generous towards the BV/Triumph NDC and the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade, to which he donated cash and kind for many years.

AMBULANCE
And through the London Chapter of the Claudette Abrams Memorial Ambulance Fund, and by means of fund-raising activities, Abrams had purchased a second-hand but fully equipped ambulance and had sent it to BV to facilitate villagers and the East Coast Demerara community in general.
Abrams’s decision to acquire an ambulance was conceptualised after his wife, Claudette Abrams, died in Guyana whilst they were on holiday. Because there had then been no ambulance service in Beterverwagting, when Mrs. Abrams had contracted a heart attack, she could not get an ambulance to take her to hospital in a timely manner.
Adams said that, after the death of his wife, Abrams had vowed not to let a similar incident befall any other villager, and he had gone back to London and had lobbied through the London chapter of the ambulance fund to raise enough money to acquire the ambulance.
With assistance of Mr. Vibert Paravatan of Laparkan, Abrams had been able to acquire  duty-free concession to ship the ambulance, and that vehicle served the community until it developed mechanical problems.
Adams added that the ambulance had been stationed at the BV Health Centre after it had arrived in Guyana, four years ago; and it had served the community well for one year, before it developed some mechanical problems, which are yet to be fixed. He disclosed that Abrams had even sent some parts for the ambulance, but no one had seemed to know how to fix it; and, as such, it was parked at the BV Health Centre.

REHABILITATED
Adams declared it his desire to see the ambulance working again, but lack of funds to replace needed parts for the engine has somewhat stalled the repairs thus far; but he would welcome any form of assistance to make the ambulance operational again, so that it can continue to serve the community.
He noted that it was his friend’s dream for BV to have an ambulance, and it had happened, and it is sad to see the vehicle parked now; but efforts are being made to have a professional mechanic look at it. However, sourcing such an expert has become tiresome.

TOO ILL TO TRAVEL
Adams recalled there was a time Abrams had wanted to return to London, but after he had boarded the plane, personnel from the Barbados-based airline had telephoned to say that he was too sick to travel, and that was how he had ended up back here in Guyana.
Abrams had been a former member of Parliament of the then People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R). The father of three had also been a lawyer, a member of the London National Maritime Museum and Scrutiny Commission (NMMSC), and a teacher in London.