THIS week, I trekked to a quaint little village way up ‘in de countryside.’ It is nestled in an almost cozy ‘nook and cranny’ quite close to the Atlantic Ocean, as some would say.

I was taken aback by its appealingly picturesque appearance, and just marvelled at the manner in which villagers bustled about their business, intent on getting the day’s chores done as the ticking clock signaled the onset of the darkness, when the day is done and billowing clouds, in almost religious ritual, seemingly unburden themselves and drench the village in torrential downpours.
My dear readers, I was in the village of Golden Grove, located just over 16 miles from Georgetown, and quite popular for its ongoing bustle as the feisty and smiling residents always seem to have a chore left to complete.
This village is divided into sections named Golden Grove Housing Scheme, Centenary Street, Collins Street, Third Street, Sandy Street, and a few others.
With latitude reading of 6.7000°, and longitude recordings of 58.1667°, this small village is nestled between the quieter East Coast Demerara villages of Haslington and Nabaclis.

History
Golden Grove is one of a series of villages stretched like a string of beads along the narrow coastland of Guyana; all are a few feet below sea level.
In times gone by, travelling through this location one would have observed, among other things, a filling station, cinema, a coconut oil factory, and several shops and small stores along the roadway.

The majority of the population estimated at just over 5,000, are descendants of former African slaves who, over 150 years ago, pooled their savings and purchased the abandoned sugar estate of Plantation Williamsburg, now renamed Golden Grove. This cooperative spirit shown by the village founders is a splendid heritage on which the present inhabitants built and made further improvements within the community.
Embracing an area of about 2,300 acres, the village is laid out in typical local fashion. The residential section is on the front lands. Many years ago, one would have seen houses built on stilts clustered on both sides of the public road and internal streets. Small farms, averaging between two and three acres in size, and many of them in scattered holdings, were found in the backlands. Like their ancestors before them, most of the people earned their livelihood from farming, but today things have changed, as persons have sought professions that are more acquainted with evolving modernisation.

Back in the 1850s, villagers travelled each day from their homes to their farms and back, several miles in some cases, either by boat along the canals, or else by foot over the dams. Principal crops at that time included fruits (sapodillas, mangoes and citrus), ground provisions (plantains, cassava and eddoes) and coconuts. They also had some livestock – mainly cattle – along with some swine and a few sheep.
In the olden days, the farmers of Golden Grove earned for their home village the proud title of “the granary of the East Coast of Demerara.” But today, low fertility of soil, small farms and poor drainage, to name a few constraints, pose challenging problems to farmers.
An indication of the old, flourishing days is the fact that an Agricultural Show – said to be the first ever held in British Guiana – was staged in Golden Grove in 1894.

Two years after the purchase of Golden Grove, a survey of the newly-acquired settlement was made in 1850, and the land was divided into building lots. An area of 450 square rods was given to the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society for building a church and school, both of which still stand to this day. In 1873, another and more detailed survey was made which, no doubt, contributed to the fact that Golden Grove is fairly well laid out, including cross-roads.
It was in 1892 that Golden Grove became a village in the true sense, and a Village Council was established.
While the face of Golden Grove has changed much since those early years, links with the past, such as the Methodist Church and School for example, still remain. Another reminder of days gone by came to light recently when, on the village foreshore, some strange relics became exposed through erosion of the foreshore, where the water had eaten away the land for a depth of about seven feet. The erosion revealed about sixty square yards of solid red brick which looked like the remains of some Old Dutch building. In the black earth were seen pieces of broken plates, coins black with age, jugs, jars and demi-johns with peculiar drawings.
And so life goes on at Golden Grove amidst relics of the past and the challenging community problems of the present. The church steeple, the school, the community centre, the roadside market, the fishmonger’s cart, the stores and the provision farms – all reflect the day-to-day life of the people.
But deeper than these lies the community spirit which created Golden Grove and which today is being rekindled to foster the further development, not only of the village, but of the people who live there.
Today, the village has greatly evolved, and sports a bevy of new houses; businesses, inclusive of the New Generation Barber Shop, Central Point Snackette and Bar, Lester’s Internet Cafe, and the Sumners’ Enterprises for rental of chairs, tents, tables and other items for hosting of weddings, birthday celebrations and such like activities. They can be contacted on telephone numbers 255-3133, or 687-2117.

Livelihood
Today this village has somewhat lost its grip on the old colonial aura, and with its transformation has come a change in its residents’ means of livelihood.
Many have now opened stalls at the Golden Grove Market Square, from which they peddle snack foods, vegetables, confectionaries and other items. Some of these structures are actually temporary fixtures and are normally taken down after the day’s sales, as the owners wait the next ‘customer rush hour.’
Some structures are, however permanent, and would customarily be locked up late at nights after the owners retire to gather strength for the next day of sales.

That aside, some villagers have taken up teaching in and outside the village, while there has been a recent upsurge in the amount of young men converting their vehicles into taxis or hire cars that ply the ‘Road Front/President College Route.’
Many male residents are working in the interior as pork-knockers, while some unleash their masonry and construction skills, especially when a new business or house is to be built in the village or in its environs.

Employment problems
The village is rapidly increasing in its population count, and with it comes the increase in youths that are unemployed. And it appears that amongst them are several who have acquired great grades at the CSEC Examinations and are still trying to find proper employment.
Speaking on this issue was the young Oslen Michael Shepherd, who possesses seven CSEC subjects with great grades, but cannot seem to find useful employment. “Golden Grove is definitely in the grip of a vice-like employment problem, and this is evident in the amount of youths one can find liming by the street corners in the afternoons. There is not much to be done here as the village population increases, and it’s extremely difficult for even qualified persons to find jobs, since the few loopholes for meaningful employment have already been filled. This results in many persons sitting around without jobs, and hoping for a positive change.

“Even if a qualified person tries to get employment elsewhere, they are then faced with the problems of finding accommodation, and the out-of-town addresses on applications most times leave them at a disadvantage, since employers prefer those that reside in the city,” he said.

Shepherd is of the view that erection in the village of an industrial facility of some sort would reasonably solve this problem, since it would provide ready work for villagers.

Entertainment
Golden Grove residents have learnt to come to grips with their not-so-sophisticated entertainment calendar, and a few ‘rollicking hotspots’ have sprung up there not so long ago.

Every weekend (starting from Friday), droves of villagers will converge by the Market Square for wild revelling as ‘Mason,’ who owns the Kyle and Vickie’s Fish Shop, will set up for the
‘Golden Grove Entertainment Saga.’

This will involve loud music from popular one-man bands, and of course the Determine Sound System, owned by Eon Havercone a/ka ‘Father Moey’ will feature.

On Tuesday nights also, villagers will gather at this same location for karaoke sessions, or just to listen to their favourite hits as they enjoy delicious fish and chips, black pudding, and other snacks that have become ‘must haves’ on their agenda of tasting craves.

In times gone by, the village would gather for massive Emancipation celebrations in August month each year, but with the death of a female villager who customarily would have spearheaded such activities, this feature has dwindled, except for a very small ceremony which is hosted at the Golden Grove/Nabaclis Community Centre Ground to acknowledge the annual celebrations.

That aside, villagers go for recreation at their own pace at the lone Nightclub in the village called ‘Diamond Ice.’

Reminiscing on the olden days
If this village has lost most of its traditional touches, it still holds fast to the rich harmony and deep connections shared amongst residents.

Today there are smiling faces everywhere, despite challenges they face; and jovial laughter and merry spirits abound in every ‘nook and cranny’ as villagers bask in the glory of rich camaraderie.
And to share the tale of how this was passed down from generation to generation, villager elder, 76-year-old Jane Rita Persaud, a merry soul with the twinkle of girlish fire still in her eyes, declared: “Boy, I might look bright and peppy today because of the rich life I enjoyed here in my girlhood days, filled with the love and affection of my children, other relatives and my lovely neighbours.

“In my time as a girl, Golden Grove was a simple village with lots of bushes and not so many houses or businesses. We had no electricity back then, and the streets were really bad during the rainy season. I can remember how we slipped and fell into the mud as we tried to go to school, but even that, too, was fun, because for many it meant that they would be allowed to stay at home on account of their soiled clothing.”

“Many yards flooded during rainy season; and oh, how we welcomed the warm sunshine! When the weather was good, I can still remember how we hurried to fetch water from a roadside stand pipe, and tried not to get into fights or quarrels with the village bullies.”
“I can remember the little children coming around to sell tomatoes and bora on trays, and the fishermen bring fresh fish and shrimp to our doors. Oh! That was really good times, and things were really cheap then”.

Mrs. Persaud relished how the men would come around selling the ‘coconut banga’ which was much needed to light the coal pot fires or firesides, whichever a family used to cook their meals on. In those days, the milk man would come around ringing a bell to announce his arrival, and mothers rushed to the door with their mugs and sent their children scurrying in all directions to find the relative utensils.”

While she was in high praise of the intervention of the paved President’s College road and many side streets, she reminisced on the era when they would move from village to village on donkey-or horse-drawn carts, and even on bicycles, before the dawn of hire cars and mini-buses.

Those were the days when vegetables were kept for a week and over by being sprinkled with cold water or covering with a damp towel (soaked at intervals), and according to Mrs. Persaud, the vegetables rarely rotted because they were not grown with artificial fertilisers.

President’s College
President’s College is a senior secondary school located in Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, Guyana. Students can enter the school through the National Grade Six Assessment, and the lower sixth form in the academic performance of the student at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC).

President’s College, opened in 1985 and was the brainchild of the late President Forbes Burnham, who launched the project in 1983 but died before the school was opened.
Students used to be selected from the top two percent of candidates in the Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (SSEE) and were subjected to an evaluation process, including interviews with school personnel. Now preference is given to those students from more remote areas. The school allows students to attend without being residential, thereby functioning as a boarding and a day school.

On April 26, 2004, a large fire destroyed the boy’s dormitory, resulting in damage worth between $45 million and $100 million in property damage, but no injuries or fatalities resulted.

As a result of the fire, more than 100 students had to find alternative housing, many off-campus. Reconstruction was started a year later, but was delayed due to the floods of 2005. In June 2006, the Ministry of Education announced a new plan for rebuilding the dormitory, and blamed the then contractor for the delays.

In November 2010, President’s College participated in the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission’s Science and Technology Quiz, competing among fifteen other schools nationwide. Members of the team representing the institution included Kevin Garbaran, Sheena McLean, Randol Schwiers and Sheena Chin. They emerged as the winners of the competition, with the team winning full scholarships to the University of Guyana.

The students with the most accumulated points for the entire competition were Kevin Garbaran and Randol Schwiers from PC. The Quiz was aired for television during November-December of that year.

Challenges
Every village has its setbacks and Golden Grove is no exception.

We interacted with several residents along the Market Road, and were informed that amongst the challenges faced was an increasingly high rate in teenage pregnancy. Other issues of great concern to villagers were the lacklustre manner in which the NDC body was maintaining irrigation drains and trenches in the village. This, they claimed, caused instant flooding in the rainy seasons.

Youths standing by the roadside indicated that the level of work done by the NDC in this respect is unacceptable and not satisfactory.
That aside, villagers are begging for a boost in their sports sector, since there are many talented and sports-oriented youths residing at Golden Grove.

Presently, there are vibrant football sessions ongoing there, and this practice is spearheaded by village sportsman Andrew Walcott. The training in this sport is made available to youths between the ages of 15 and 20. However, according to Walcott, it would be a welcome relief if football gear and clothing can be donated to these youths who are unable to access same because of financial constraints.

Some are calling for repairs to the Golden Grove Secondary School, which they claim badly needs a facelift. Students from that school informed that their washrooms are in a deplorable condition, and that the water coming from the taps is at times unfit for drinking.

Science students at that institution, who requested to remain anonymous, related that their science laboratory is in a bad condition, which is certainly not conducive to effective learning.

Conclusion
Come join in the joys and abundant love of this village. Come bask in the glory of the rich laughter of its inhabitants. Come folks, get lost in the bustle of the residents, or join them by the roadside for humorous ‘countryside gaff’.

Whatever you do, do not hesitate to visit Golden Grove, where the sun shines in its brightest glory as residents make the best of the simplest of existence.
Written By Alex Wayne