– Men and women in uniform

The table has been laid with the finest delicacies you can think of. From a distance I could smell the irresistible aroma emanating from that mouthwatering pepper pot – it is like everything I have been longing for and more.

In the house, the excitement peaks, as we unwrapped our gifts just before breaking our fast as a family, something we rarely ever do because of the usual hustle and bustle during the year. But wait, where is dad? “He is off to work,” my mother shouts. And it was then that it dawned on me, that for a second time in a row, he wouldn’t be home for Christmas.
Though I am sad, deep down in my heart, I understand the oath he took to serve and protect. And again though I am sad, I am comforted by the fact that he is out there making a difference, keeping the peace and providing assistance to people who really need it.
But he is not alone he is joined by our “superheroes” – the policemen and women, firemen, soldiers, prison officers, nurses, doctors and even midwives who are working beyond the call of duty.

Thirty-eight-year-old Corporal Nirmala Bhagwandin is among the men and women in uniform who are working this Christmas.
The single-parent mother of two joined the Guyana Police Force 18 years ago and for the last four years, she has been traveling from her Lot 185 Block ‘8’ Tuschen home on the East Bank of Essequibo to the capital city, Georgetown, to report to duty at the Brickdam Police Station – a journey that usually takes close to two hours.

“To be honest, sometimes it does be difficult and hard but as a single parent you would want to have the best for your children. And sometimes I find myself working shift,” she said.
Today, Bhagwandin’s two children will be spending Christmas with their grandmother but the celebration would continue when she returns home in the evening after reporting for duty at 7:00h. “When, I get home, we would have our own celebration. But whether I am at work

or at home, knowing that I have them in my life makes me happy,” she posited.
But it is not all doom and gloom at work on a Christmas Day; according to Corporal Bhagwandin even there you would feel the spirit of Christmas.

“This wouldn’t be the first time I am working on Christmas Day. Although I would love to spend the day with my siblings – I took an oath and so if I have to work on Christmas Day, that’s it, I have to work.
Detective Constable Terrence Browne Jr. would also be working this Christmas. For him, it means altering his plans with family and friends, to investigate possible fraudulent activities. “I am not married and I don’t have children but I am a family person so my siblings would have wanted me to be around but I took an oath and so if I have to work on Christmas Day, well duty calls,” Detective Browne said.

On a regular day, Detective Browne is part of a team investigating matters involving forgery of documents be it bounce cheques and counterfeit notes whether local or foreign currency. While the number of cases would increase during this period, on Christmas Day, the Department rarely ever receives complaints.
“Although I would prefer to be home with my family, I feel good knowing that I could still assist the people even on Christmas Day,” Detective Browne posited.
Like Corporal Bhagwandin and Detective Browne, Police Constable Phillip Chapman enjoys serving his fellow Guyanese in and out of season. Eleven years into his profession, Constable Chapman is living his childhood dreams of being a peace officer.

And though he would not be able to have breakfast with his sons this Christmas, he will share a special breakfast with his wife at around 5:30h before reporting for active duty at the Brickdam Police Station as a Traffic Rank.
“It is usually a light day but I would like to encourage drivers to pay attention while driving, don’t use your cell phone and the main one, don’t drink and drive.”
On Christmas Day, all across Guyana, while officers of the law would be required to report to work, they are usually treated to a special as the embrace each other.
Like some police officers, hundreds of nurses across Guyana are will be reporting to duty this Christmas as they offer much needed care to the sick.

“This is the third time I am working on Christmas. Yes I am sad because Christmas is more of a family holiday but as a nurse or an nursing assistant, there are times when you would have to be away from your family so that you can help someone’s family,” 29-year-old Deon Primus uttered as she thought about Christmas without her two children.
The Nursing Assistant said in the absence of her children, she would try to put smiles on the faces of her patients at the Linden Hospital Complex.

“I still try to comfort myself with the fact that I am actually making patients happy by showing up to work and trying to keep them a bit jolly because it is already hard to know that you are in hospital on Christmas Day.”
After enjoying a delicious breakfast with her children, Primus will report for duty at 13:00h. As such, her five year old daughter and nine months old son would spend the rest of the day at their grandmother, until their mom returns home from her eight hours shift.

“To tell you the truth, I speak with mixed emotions, because while I am away from my children, I am helping other people get better. I could remember this one Christmas, there was this elderly woman who was crying because she had no visitor on Christmas Day but I had to remind her that she had life, and that she had me. As nurses and nursing assistants we do more that give out medication,” said a very emotional Primus.