Dear Editor,
ON MONDAY, January 18, 2016, the Aurora Primary and Nursery schools, the building where once the Secondary School was housed, was dismantled by a contactor in order that a new concrete and wooden building could be erected on the very site.This building was carefully taken down to preserve the materials and zinc. As expected, residents from the community approached the Regional Executive Officer Mr. Rupert Hopkinson to have some of the materials, in order for them to build or extend pens for rearing of poultry, livestock, pigs or cattle.

The R.E.O. rightly advise those persons to put their request in writing and send it to his office for consideration, because all the materials would be taken to Anna Regina and taken into custody of the Regional Administration.

These materials were then loaded into trucks by the workers on site, on different dates and times. I must say that sometime during the hours of darkness, the trucks headed in the direction of Anna Regina, where we all know that materials of all types and equipment are lodged, stored and parked for the Region.

More than a week after the last of the approximately 20 trucks laden with materials had left the Aurora School compound, situated right next to the Aurora Police Station, it was discovered that not a single truck had turned up at the Ministry’s location, where they were intended to be stored.

The R.E.O. was contacted by concerned citizens of the community and by those from other areas of the region. As a result, he made contact with the persons from Aurora, me included, and a discussion was held with us on Sunday, 31st January, 2016. We were not impressed with the reasons he advanced for him not being able, at that point in time, to account for the people’s materials.

We are contending, among other things, that our grandparents, our parents, we, our children, and some of our grandchildren attended that school, maybe when it had a different structure and from time to time. The Parent-Teachers Association, among other benefactors, has made a significant contribution towards the delivery of education in that said school, and it is galling to see that it has been stolen from us.

It is generally agreed that we would have preferred to see those materials given to the Muslim, Hindu, and/or Christian churches in Aurora, and to the many playgrounds in the region for construction and extension of pavilions.

I am saying that a lot of people from within the community — Good Hope to Pomona and elsewhere — are totally dissatisfied or are getting to the point of being angry as more and more information is unravelling itself into the public domain, because they all know how many millions of dollars they were told was spend on renovation and extension of that school building during the last decade or so.

There are persons — particularly the R.E.O., who is the Accounting Officer for the region — who must say how much they know; when they knew it; and what they did/are doing about what they know.

It is interesting to note that I caused an article to be published in the Kaieteur News on Friday, 15th January, on page 31, under the caption ‘the story of a missing Heart Machine’. Also mentioned in that article was disappearance of a piece of dental equipment. At the time of writing this letter, I am not sure if the authorities have located this priceless piece of equipment, or if persons have been held for questioning.
Now, less than a month later, it is the story of a missing school Now what should we expect?

Failing to have a thorough investigation into this nasty act would be an indictment on the part of the regional authorities, for they rightfully would be accused of supporting criminal activities. It is the belief of many people that this issue would add to the long list that already existed during the previous administration. I hope that they are wrong.

Regards,
ARCHIE W. CORDIS