A BUST depicting the late Claude Alphonso Merriman C.C.H. J.P., positioned at the north-eastern end of the iconic Merriman Mall, was unveiled in his memory on Saturday during a moving ceremony at the junction of Church and Irving Streets.
Mr. Merriman was born on November 29, 1912 at Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown and died in 1995.The bust was constructed by Sculptor Ivor Thom. Among those gathered to join in the celebration were President David Granger; former Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Hamilton Green; Hon. Justice Courtney A. Abel (son); former Mayor Mavis Benn, Chairperson – all of whom addressed the gathering.

President Granger and Ms. Averil Merriman Henry (daughter of the late Mr. Merriman) did the honours of unveiling the bust, while Justice Oslen Small, Pastor of Smith Congregational Church rendered the opening prayer, followed by the singing of hymns.
Amidst grandeur, the Guyana Police Force Band rendered rich symphony, entertaining the appreciative audience. Following the unveiling of the bust, a slew of floral tributes were laid at the foot of the monument.
“We are assembled here to pay tribute to the life and neighbours of former Minister of Social Security, Mayor of Georgetown and popular mortician. We are unveiling the bust of a man, so that the present and future generations can remember him and remember the times in which he lived and the objectives he set himself in public life,” President Granger said.

Seeking to put the story of the life Claude Merriman lived, President Granger reflected on what Georgetown was like in 1912, the period in which Merriman was born and the hardships he endured, though not of his own making. He looked critically at the reality of growing up under conditions bereft of luxuries, or even the basic necessities of life because the system did not provide for it. But through it all, Claude Merriman was an overcomer.
Around the mid-1930s Merriman dedicated his life to working in the field of public health, ensuring the lives of the population were looked after.
“I would invite you to see the life of Claude Alphonso Merriman in the context of the times in which he was growing up,” said President Granger, who noted he would sometimes wish that there were still people like Claude Merriman around; people who would not stand for untidiness and insanitary conditions; people who would scrupulously make sure that the lives of the people they’re responsible for and their constituencies were improved.

President Granger commended the family members of Mr. Claude Merriman for taking this initiative to remind the citizens of Georgetown about the lives and neighbours of Claude Alphonso.
He spoke of the conditions in Guyana in the early 1900s, when housing and sanitation were major problems and when people could not afford a ‘decent meal’ because of poor wages and salaries. He said that it is for these reasons that Mr. Merriman, who was a member of the People’s National Congress (PNC), committed to working in service of Guyanese.
“This is why our party paid so much attention in the mid-1960s to humanising the lives and the circumstances under which poor people lived… Claude Merriman did live in a city with tarmac roads, lights and good housing and this is what propelled him to give people a better life. This is what propelled the party, which he joined 59 years ago, the PNC, to improve the quality of life not only of the citizens of Georgetown, but also [those] places where people live in worse conditions in rural Guyana,” the Head of State said.

Similar sentiments were expressed by former Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Hamilton Green, who said that it does not bode well for a nation’s youth to be unacquainted with important historical facts about the struggles of the country’s earliest heroes and heroines. He added that the bust must be seen as just the beginning of a wider campaign to inform and educate the citizenry.
Mr. Merriman’s son, Justice Courtney Abel, in his tribute, described his father as a rare breed of public servant, who had an outstanding and dignified career as a community activist and counsellor. He said that his father was responsible for the introduction of major innovations in the offices he held.
Claude Alphonso Merriman was appointed as Minister of Labour and Social Security in 1964. He also served in the capacity as Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Georgetown. He was also a popular mortician and operated the famous Merriman’s Funeral Home.