Dear Editor,

THE imminent inauguration of Bartica as a town — on April 23, 2016 — will be an occasion of pride and joy for all Barticians.I recall — with some disappointment — that on my last enquiry of Barticians in 1998, and on subsequent occasions, no one who resided outside of Bartica (both young and old) seemed able to recall the circumstances and conditions under which Bartica got its community centre.

Being aware that Guyanese are not prone to recording events of historical importance for the guidance, encouragement and emulation of posterity, I am reminded of Voltaire’s caution: “without memory, there can be no recognition or continuity”.

As one of the dwindling number of pioneers of that happy event, I assume the duty to state, for the records, the following: In the early 1950s, there was no secondary school in Bartica, and this consequently created a need for the minds and energies of the intelligent and ambitious primary school-leavers to be channelled into meaningful directions by guidance and counselling.

To engage the youths and meet this needs’ gap, a number of community leaders and members of the Bartica Branch of the Transport Workers Union, of which I had the privilege of being the secretary, got involved in establishing several social, sporting and games’ organizations which provided activities such as cricket and football; cultural and debating clubs; girls’ guides and boy’ scouts; domestic science, weight-lifting and body-building. These organizations were headed by the late Seymour Darrell, Stella Chase, Elma Adams and Joe Holder respectively, and produced several talented students, namely: Una Salmon-Liverpool, Shirlene Nascimento, Beulah Darrell-Hodge, Cecil Moore and Lester Garraway, who all collaborated with me in the preparation of this record.

It is worthy to note that the weight-lifting and body-building club produced British Guiana’s first Olympic contestant – Cecil Moore, who was a contestant at the Helsinki Games in 1952, and won a bronze medal in his weight-lifting division.

While the organizations struggled to maintain their relevance to the citizens, they were constantly plagued by a lack of adequate meeting places. The only available accommodations for holding meetings were as follows:

(a) A little dwelling house which was located on the periphery of the playground, which served both as a meeting place and the home of the caretaker/groundsman.

(b) The small Anglican School which was located at Triangle Street.

While accommodation for the meetings was limited, there was the very spacious playground at the junction of 3rd Street and 3rd Avenue which was more than adequate to build a sizeable community centre. The Union had, for some time, been eyeing the many abandoned buildings in the former Naval Base compound of the United States of America at Makouria, a few miles from Bartica.

Representation was made to the District Commissioner (DC), the late Pat Forte, that the acquisition of one of the abandoned buildings could be used as a community centre, thereby satisfying the need to keep the youths organized and focused, and preventing their minds from being diverted to the temptations of alcoholism and crime. The late J.H. Pollydore, General Secretary of the Transport Workers Union, and the D.C. supported this representation to the Government. Not long after, the D.C. advised the union that the Government had approved the request, and the American Ambassador was approached to obtain his permission for the Union to select one of the abandoned buildings. There was one condition stipulated: that the union would dismantle and relocate the building to Bartica at its own expense.

This entailed a vast community effort, which included skilled and unskilled workers, boat owners, businessmen and housewives, who were mobilized for the purpose of demolishing, transporting and reconstructing the building on it present site in 1954. It was indeed a proud and historic occasion, and as a witness and participant in that event, it is my pleasure to present this information to be recorded for posterity.
Yours Sincerely,
OSCAR E. MOORE
Former Chief Labour Officer, and Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Labour