SAT THROUGH CINEMA SHOW NEXT TO HER DEAD FRIEND
(The Citizen August 12, 1977)
A young woman sat through a cinema show in the city last night not realising that a friend sitting next to her was dead.At the end of the movie as she shook her companion, she found that the girl 22-year -old Ingrid McKennon of the Guyana Defence Force was dead.
“She slumped down in her seat during the film but I thought she was asleep and I decided not to disturb her,” the young woman said, tangibly shaken by the bizarre experience.
Later at the Georgetown Hospital Ingrid McKennon who lived at Buxton East Coast Demerara was officially pronounced dead and there is to be a post mortem.

MAN CUTS OFF HIS FINGER TO SAVE HIS LIFE
(The Citizen August 16, 1977)
A young timber grant worker on the Corentyne yesterday cut off the index finger of his left hand after he was bitten by a labaria.
Acting on the advice of an experienced “bush man” 29-year-old Patrick Gordon lopped off the finger when the poisonous snake bit his left hand while he was cutting a path in the forest some 14 miles up the Corentyne River.
The amputation did keep Gordon alive and later at the Georgetown Hospital doctors went to work on him. He is expected to survive the attack.

FIGHTING GOATS STOP NA TRAFFIC
(The Citizen September 13, 1977)
The busy shopping centre at Strand New Amsterdam almost came to a standstill when two goats with curved horns were engaged in fierce fighting.
During the battle for supremacy the animals butted each other violently. They leapt into the air and then rushed at each other, clashing their heads together and using their horns as spears.
During the grim struggle blood oozed from the foreheads of both animals.
By this time a large crowd gathered enthralled by the display of the goats.
An aged man who was surprised at the agility of the animals mused aloud: “Why on earth are they fighting?”
A teenage lad quickly replied:”If mankind what get reasoning ah fight, wha do them?
As they became tired the goats ceased fighting and after hovering around for a few seconds walked down Charlotte Street among the street folks.

CANJE BRIDGE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
(The Citizen September 13, 1977)
Work on the Canje River Bridge is progressing satisfactorily with the beams on the Sheet Anchor side of the river already laid and those on the New Amsterdam side now being set up.
The bridge is being built by Corporation Raymond a firm of United States bridge building contractors who have built several bridges across rivers in South America.
It is hoped that although not fully completed the bridge will be in use by Christmas early January if the work continues to progress as it is now doing.
Work on the bridge began earlier this year with a deadline of eighteen months being set by Contractor Raymond but it is expected that the bridge will be completed long before schedule.
Project Manager of Corporation Raymond is Harry Armstrong , while Project Manager for the Consulting Engineers Frederic Harris Corporation is Julius Silchenstedt .

THE MONKEY AND THE PEPPER
(The Citizen July 22, 1977)
A pet monkey went berserk after eating a hot red pepper yesterday and bit its owner three times.
Twenty-four-year old Terrence Lee became alarmed when the monkey jumped at his throat and bit him.
He is now a patient at the Georgetown Hospital.
Lee told this newspaper that he had placed a bowl of hot pepper close to the monkey and as he turned away to do something else the monkey reached out grabbed one and ate it.
Some minutes later he picked up the monkey to give it a bath and the monkey bit him.
It bit him a second time and as he chased it around the animal scurried into the yard.
Lee said: “The monkey seemed to be waiting for me around the building and he jumped out and rushed to my neck and bit my neck again.”
Lee knocked the animal unconscious and it is still at large.

CAUGHT SKINNING A DONKEY
(The Citizen August 18, 1977)
A 30-year-old man who was held by detectives in the early hours of the morning skinning a donkey to sell the meat as beef was sentenced to three months imprisonment by Magistrate Desmond Christian at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Compton Singh of 4, Cummings Lodge Georgetown was caught with the dead donkey about three o’clock this morning and was taken to court later in the day.
He pleaded guilty to the offence and told the Magistrate he was sorry.
The owner of the donkey Budhram Mangalram of Railway Line Kitty had tethered the animal in his yard on Wednesday night and retired to bed.
He was not aware that the animal was missing until the Police called him at his home.

BETTER FACILITIES FOR THE LOWER POTARO REST-HOUSES
(The Citizen September 23, 1977)
Rest houses in Lower Potaro are to be equipped with additional modern furniture utensils and other articles designed for use by the caretakers and by visitors to the sub-region.
District Administration Officer Sherlock Isaacs said in his 1977 first quarterly report the items were needed for the rest house service in the area.
Isaacs said that the volume of visits to Potaro increased considerably from January to April this year.
Ninety five per cent were tourists to Kaieteur with the remainder being visiting Government Officers.
The visitors usually stayed at rest houses at Mahdia, Kangaruma and Tukeit and that was why it was essential for the requested items to be supplied to the rest houses as early as possible, the District Administration Officer added.

FIRST BATCH OF MALE NURSES ENTER MIDWIFERY SCHOOL
(The Citizen October 4, 1977)
The first set of male nurses to be trained as “mid-wives” is likely to enter the Schools of Nurses in Georgetown and Berbice next month.
During the anniversary celebrations of the Guyana Nurses’ Association recently Officials said that male nurses desirous of becoming obstetric nurses must be allowed to receive training in the field.
The Official encouraged male nurses interested in being trained as midwives to apply for such training.
The course will last for one year during which time the male students will be prepared to take the Midwifery Examination provided by the General Nursing Council of Guyana.
If successful they will be eligible for registration as midwives.

(Clifford Stanley can be reached to discuss any of the foregoing articles at cliffantony@gmail.com or cell phone # 657 2043)