THE contributions made by Guyana’s first people to national development cannot be disputed; today they are no longer known as mere forest dwellers; in fact, their achievements over the past years have propelled them into the spotlight.

Amerindians today are becoming more involved in the affairs of their country; taking up prominent, top-ranking positions in Government and other institutions.
Coast Guard Colonel John Flores of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF)who hails from Mabaruma, North West District is one such outstanding Amerindian personality.
Colonel Flores was born on September 7, 1961 and attended the St Joseph Primary School in Mabaruma. He acquired one of the early Amerindian Scholars scholarships in 1972 to attend Queen’s College.
After his secondary education he left Georgetown for the Rupununi, where he served as a teacher in Karasabai.
“Karasabai is the first village in North Pakaraima and it is completely surrounded by mountains. There were some satellite villages around Tiger Pond and some other small villages, so I used to be teaching there, I spent about 18 months before returning to Georgetown,” Colonel Flores said.
He joined the GDF in 1981, where he completed the Officer’s Course in August 1982 and was sent to England to attend the Royal Naval College for three years.
Upon his return in 1983, Colonel Flores spent almost four years on small patrol boats as a Coast Guard before leaving for Canada to pursue another course.
Colonel Flores explained that his passion for the training saw him being appointed as a Coast Guard Training Officer upon his return from Canada. In 1991, he completed his smaller ship training in the United Kingdom.
He spent seven years with the GDF Training Unit, conducting training programmes and imparting the skills he acquired in Canada to local officers before returning to the Coast Guard unit.
The Coast Guard head describes 2001 as the defining year of his career, when he led a team to England. Upon his return in September 2001 (heritage month) he was named Commanding Officer of Coast Guard.
In 2009, Colonel Flores graduated with a distinction in Public Management and completed a Masters in Global Studies from the University of the West Indies in 2011.
“Since then I have been involved in number of small academic programmes to do with management and those things that relate to the office… I like studying but I also like the challenges of the work,” he said
On the lighter side, Colonel Flores is a sports fanatic; engaging in swimming, football, volleyball and other outdoor games. He is a national volleyball referee and an executive member of the Guyana Volleyball Federation.
He is married and is the father of three children. His father died in 1987, but his mother is alive and currently resides in New York. He also has 94-year old grandmother.
Last year, Colonel Flores was conferred a national award, the Military Service Medal (MSM).