MAHAICONY is a very large district encompassing an attractive clutch of dynamic villages, most of them reflecting a jovial, upbeat, old-world aura that compels the visitor to return for more after spending time in any one of them.

Mahaicony villages are always abuzz with some positive activity or the other, and the people always seem to be on the move in some way or the other.
One area that has certainly piqued my interest is the popular ‘Central Mahaicony’, which, over the years, has become a mind-boggling fusion of approximately four villages, all seemingly growing steadily into a posh settlement whose fantastic economic potential cannot be hid.
The very alluring spectacle that seems to entice visitors is the way in which the residents of Farm, Zeskendren, L’Enterprise, and even those residing along the Railway Embankment seem to have come together as one, somewhat obscuring the fact that ‘Central Mahaicony’ is made up of several villages.
Mahaicony falls within the administration of Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice), the country’s premier agricultural region. It shares a boundary with De Hoop, Mahaica on the west, and extends to Calcutta, immediately west of the Abary River, which divides West Coast Berbice from the easternmost extremity of the County of Demerara.
Its major economic activities are fishing and farming, and to a lesser extent hunting; and Mahaicony produces over 15,000 metric tonnes of paddy each year. Mahaicony is usually affected by flooding during the rainy season, and during the dry weather, ponds dry up.

Years gone by
According to the elderly ‘Auntie Majorie’, she has been selling metai, cheese sticks and other sweets by the ‘market square’ for several years; and although her incapacitation causes her to sit in a wheelchair, she braves the sun every day, making sure she equips herself with a really large umbrella.
In years gone by, the area now called Central Mahaicony was not the bustle of activity it is today. This location was very quiet in those days, as residents adopted the ‘stay in position’ attitude, meaning that they preferred the comfort of their homes to the freedom of the outdoors, unless they had to go shopping or run other errands.
There were many areas which were very bushy and rugged, especially the railway lines that were used by commuters and travellers in the great old age of the train and train lines. Today, several large metal structures remain to tell the tale of chugging train rides from outside villages to Central Mahaicony. One such steel structure is the enormous railway structure that had allowed trains access across the churning Mahaicony River.
During that time, it was the Gonsalves Grocery Outlet that seemed to supply the needs of residents, and persons even travelled from as far as Calcutta Village, some five miles away, to stock up on their pantry supplies. This area was always the ‘busy point’ of the Mahaicony District, since farmers and vendors gathered close by on weekends to sell their produce at the junction of the Central Mahaicony Public Road and the Perth Village Access Road.
That popular grocery outlet has now been bought by a prominent businessman, and has been converted to the N. Singh Lumber Yard and Hardware Store.
In years gone by, Central Mahaicony was also a business point for hire car drivers transporting travellers to Perth Village and other areas, and everyone loved to shelter from the elements under the ancient towering building left by the Dutch. That building has since been torn down by the same businessman, and a spanking new and attractive supermarket has taken its place.
And now that the Chinese have rented a spot adjoining the supermarket, Central Mahaicony will soon enjoy excellent Chinese cuisine.
The old Texaco Gas Station is situated just close by. The gas station is no more, but the rotting structure reminds villagers of the excitement they felt when the gas station was erected over twenty-five years ago.
Villagers are not really missing anything, since the Guyana Oil Company has erected a gas station within a few rods of the Mahaicony Bridge, which is also in Central Mahaicony. And this gas station also sports a cafeteria for hot snacks and drinks.
On many days in the 70s and 80s, Central Mahaicony would be almost void of activity, but certainly not today. Shops have popped up all over, and there always seems to be a flurry of people around, tending to their business, or just chatting or taking a stroll.
And in the olden days, residents had to wait for the annual Mahaicony School Fair as a form of major entertainment, but today, Collis Nunes’s Guinness Bar at Zeskendren is attracting patrons from all walks of life, and even from the city.

The Guinness Bar
What some ten years ago was just a very small shop at which a few men would gather to drink rum and whisky has now evolved into the ‘Mahaicony Hotspot’, and is certainly setting the youths and oldsters on fire.
On practically any day, persons can be found playing pools, dominoes, or just filling up on Banks Beer and Guinness Stout at this joint which seems to have a magnetic magic, according to villagers.
From Wednesday night things heat up, and the crowds begin to build with expectation of meeting the ‘Mahaicony gals’, whom it seems have thrown away all inhibitions these days and are donning some of the most provocative and scandalous attire.
On Wednesday night, the ‘Banks Beer Frenzy’ begins, and patrons can win fantastic Banks DIH giveaways.
On Friday nights, all Mahaicony seem to converge at this bar in a huge and wild mass of gyrating bodies, and the ‘Guinness Stampede’ begins. Patrons are offered smart deals on the Guinness sale, and it would be quite a sight to see even the big women ‘drop it like it’s hot’.
That aside, a few smaller clubs have popped up around Central Mahaicony, and these would keep parties of much smaller volume.
But before this wild, entertainment fiesta, it was the Pool’s Night Club that would ‘get it locked’ for villagers wanting to have a real good time. This business is no more, and the structure is rotting, taking away memories of the good old days.
In the early 80s, the road leading to the first wooden bridge that allowed vehicular transport across the Mahaicony River would only become active on the Saturday Market scene. Today snackettes and shops have been erected along the road shoulders. There are now butchers’ shops, mini bars, and many small outlets selling clothing, and other items.
Central Mahaicony now boasts two barber shops, and several barbers also work from their homes. It is just fun to watch the jolly villages and the wave of jovial merriment that seems to engulf them as their residents interact in the streets and byways, their laughter sounding like music to the ears.
The Midway Snackette owned by Conrad Charles is not the small structure it used to be. Things have changed and it is now a much larger and striking joint that is satisfying the grumbling stomachs of Mahaicony residents and those from afar.

Education
There is a government institution of secondary learning named the Mahaicony Secondary School, and there is also a school at Novar which provides secondary education, but it is not a secondary school. Overcrowded classrooms are one of several problems faced by both teachers and students of Mahaicony Secondary School. Despite these limitations, Mahaicony Secondary has been achieving high percentage passes in all subject areas at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams. There are also a primary and a nursery school, and a play school has also now become available to villagers at Central Mahaicony.
In the surrounding areas, primary schools are scattered from Zeeland in the west to Calcutta in the east, to Mora Point in the Deep South. Access to primary education is not a problem, but the culture of the community is that teens take up employment in the agricultural fields at an early age, hence few attend secondary school. The general reasoning is that somebody has to do the farming.

Livelihood
Some years ago, most residents were engaged in farming as a means of survival, while others were employed at the rice mills in the nearby Perth Village or the then existing Burma Rice Mill, some eight miles away. A few sought employment at Uncle Ray’s Workshop, which was really a very large joint that undertook repairing of vehicles and electrical appliances.
Today, the popularity of this workshop has dwindled, and with it the scope for employment.
Some have sought jobs as nurses, others as teachers, and some have their little food stalls and shops selling clothing and the related accessories. There are a few drivers as well, but quite a few have netted employment at the still new N. Singh Lumber Yard and Hardware Store. Some of Central Mahaicony’s grown children have joined the Guyana Police Force, and quite a few are actually working in their home territory.
And, of course some persons are still actively engaged in farming on lands adjacent to the railway embankment and in the backlands. It appears like vending is the order of the day, since this seems to be bringing in the quickest dollar.

Healthcare
The Government of Guyana has recently renovated the district hospital. Along with the renovation came an upgrade of the equipment and other facilities at the hospital. Many people have welcomed the upgrade, and would like the GoG to upkeep the hospital in its current state, and further improve on it. However, more nurses are needed.
There are several health centres across Mahaicony, so access to basic healthcare is not a problem.

Villagers lament
Every village has its problems, and life has its ups and downs; so I certainly did expect some villagers to lament over some issue or the other.
Despite the jovial banter of residents and their flashing toothy smiles, there seems to be turbulence that needed addressing.
Villagers use the Mahaicony River for transport to the villages along the river bank, and fishermen also use an area on the river (close to the police station) to moor their boats as they wait the correct tides. They also sell their catch there, and would spend sometimes weeks at this location before going home to their families.
However, what was really a good small boat stelling many years ago has become a very rotten structure which can collapse at any time, according to many boat captains. Water has rotted the large planks that were driven into the river to sustain the structure, and the structure is now also very shaky. There are large holes on the stelling floor, since lots of the wood has rotted away, and careless persons can pass through gaping holes.
Boat Captain Shivnauth Shamlall was adamant that urgent repairs need to be effected to the structure to avoid the impending catastrophe. “Boss, we wukking like this fuh years now with this boat landing falling apart, and nobody ain’t doing anything! The water rotten out de wood, and if a boat should crash into this thing, I sure it gon collapse. People are using this landing to travel into the river and it ain’t safe at all, especially when mothers with young children got to walk on the landing. It ain’t safe at all boss! We talk till we weary but nobady ain’t doing anything because dem just ain’t care! When somebody dead then dem gon maybe repair this boat landing”.
Vegetable vendor Afiya Sealey said she certainly disapproves of the way they are made to vend without any form of toilet facilities for them to appease the call of nature.
“I don’t know what is going on, sir. Imagine, we are selling here for years and we keep complaining to the Village Council that we need to have toilet facilities, but every time we talk, it falls on deaf ears. Imagine, we have to run great distances or catch cars and go home to ease our bowels or to urinate. Someone certainly has to look into this matter. We are human beings and at least deserve to ply our trade in peace and with a little comfort,” she said.
Other vendors felt that there is a vital need for youth groups to be initiated in the district to keep the large volume of youths gainfully employed. Rose Trotman felt that lack of such activity is forcing the youths to engage in alcohol consumption and other negative acts.
“There are many youths in Central Mahaicony, and most of them are unemployed because of lack of jobs. What needs to be done is for prominent citizens to form youth groups and teach them trades, so that they can be positive persons. Also, groups need to be formed to instill in them discipline and the need to boost their self-esteem. There is a trade school just a short distance over the bridge, but the young people are refusing to go since all they are concerned with is ganging up at the Guinness Bar to drink alcohol and behave reckless”.
Some villages lament the need to fill what looked like three huge potholes on the road shoulder in front of the Mahaicony Police Station. Some said that these holes have done much damage to vehicles, and cause much discomfort for residents during heavy rainfall.
Vendors are lamenting the state of the Mahaicony Post Office, which has been left to deteriorate and is in a deplorable state presently.
Examining the structure, I was aghast to realize there was green moss on the walls, which are rotting in some places. Windows needed repairing, the steps too, and the poor thing was crying out for a coat of paint. To think that authorities would allow their employees to work in this condition and have villagers do business in such unpleasant surroundings was appalling.

Garbage disposal
Garbage is disposed of either by burning or by dumping surreptitiously by night. The place chosen for this nefarious activity is an open plot quite close to the stalls at the Mahaicony Market.
An emotional Kavita Ramchand, vendor at the market, voiced her concerns: “This is a very serious problem, and it needs addressing immediately! We have no proper garbage disposal system in Central Mahaicony, and as such, many business places and individuals would throw their garbage in that open spot outside the market! This is a serious health hazard, since the garbage begins to smell terrible and the heap continues to grow. Some days it’s almost impossible for me to open my shop with the intolerable stench that comes from the garbage pile”.
Vendors said they have approached their village council with the problem and have been told it would be addressed, but nothing has been done to ease their plight.
Aside from their peeves, it was quite a thrill to soak up the tropical beauty, the festive atmosphere, and jovial banter of these very happy people.