Christopher Stephenson
By Francis Quamina Farrier
THERE is a document on my desk as I write this feature which reads: “Co-Operative Republic of Guyana. CERTIFICATE OF DEATH No.0049177. Full name of Deceased: Christopher Stephenson. Date of Death: October 20, 1997”. However, 20 years after the heroic death of Christopher Stephenson, there are some citizens who feel that he must never be forgotten, and his heroic actions on October 20, 1997, must be officially recognised with a National Award.

Guyana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Hamley Case; Chairman of John Fernandes Ltd., Chris Fernandes; Retired General Manager of the Georgetown Water & Sewerage Commissioners, David Dewar; and Raymond Shaw, have all expressed interest in elevating Christopher Stephenson as a Guyanese hero. “His instinctive action was to save two lives,” says Raymond Shaw. “He was not a rich man, and he had the responsibilityof his children to look after. Yet, without hesitation, he responded to the need of his fellow man.”

SLOWLY FADING
The story of the tragic, but heroic death of Christopher Stephenson, is fading from the Guyanese memory. But since on Friday, (October 20, 2017), it will be the 20th Anniversary of that land-mark incident and I thought it appropriate to tell that story again of true Guyanese heroism.

It has gripped my thoughts as well as the thoughts of other Guyanese from time to time, over the past two decades. It is a tragic yet great story of one of the greatest Guyanese heroes of our time. And I need to add, that two decades after his death, he remains an unsung hero. A truism of Dave Martin’s song, “Caribbean, where are your Heroes?”

About eight years ago, I decided to write a long poem which is entitled “The Ballad of Christopher Stephenson” in which I have related what took place that fateful day at the corner of Sussex and Hunter Streets, Charlestown, Georgetown.

Christopher Stephenson died a hero. He saved the lives of two men he had never known – Gerald Rodie and Ossie Roberts – both workers at the then Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commissioners (GS&WC). A nomination for him to receive a Posthumous National Award of the Cacique Crown of Valor, which is a special award for bravery, was submitted to the Protocol Division of the Ministry of the Presidency in April last year, and signed by the well-known businessman, Christopher Fernandes, before Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary Celebrations.

But so far, the nomination has not been entertained. Is it that Guyana does not recognise such bravery as being worthy of National acknowledgment? Or is it because Christopher Stephenson was a dray-cart operator and a resident of the “demonised” Tiger Bay area, in western Georgetown?

Paraphrasing the Book of John 1:46 from the Holy Bible, Raymond Shaw posed the question: “Can anything good come out of Tiger Bay?” His firm answer is, “Yes, here is an act worth showcasing. Tiger Bay is just as good as any other ward of the city, if not better, and some attention should be paid to that area”, Shaw concluded.

THAT FATEFUL DAY
On the morning of October 20, 1997, Christopher Stephenson, who was a single parent, (his wife was a guest of the State at the New Amsterdam Prison at the time), rose early before dawn in his humble Tiger Bay abode and prepared breakfast for his four young children, and later saw them off to school.

He then set out with his horse and dray cart to secure what work the city had to offer him that day. From Tiger Bay, he took a southern direction into the Avenue of the Republic, into High Street, then into Saffon Street and finally east along Sussex Street. Approaching the Hunter Street junction, he observed a large crowd which had surrounded one of the GS&WC manholes. Something was amidst, and Christopher tied his horse to a post and went to investigate from a closer vantage point.

What Christopher discovered, made him take immediate action. Two workers of the GS&WC were at the bottom of the manhole in a state of unconsciousness, having inhaled poisonous gas from a leak in the pipeline. No one was willing to go down into that filth and gas below to assist the men. However, Christopher bravely went down into that manhole at the risk of his own life.

Down into the dark manhole below the surface of Sussex Street, he got to work, rescuing the first man, and bringing him to the surface on Sussex Street. Even though Christopher was small of stature, he was large of heart, demonstrating what love he had, even for two men who were strangers to him.

Preparing to go down for the second victim, many in the crowd were shouting to him not to go back into that poisonous pen. But Christopher would have none of that; the second victim had to be rescued. So down he went again, caring little about his own safety; in fact, his very own life.

He secured the second man and brought him to the surface to loud applause from the crowd. However, Christopher had inhaled much of that poisonous gas and he collapsed onto the street. The three men were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital. The two GS&WC workers survived, no doubt because they did not inhale as much of the poisonous gas as Christopher Stephenson did while he lifted not just one, but both men who were much bigger than he was.

And so, while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Christopher Stephenson passed away, leaving his wife and four small children widowed and fatherless.

FAREWELL
I first saw Christopher – “THE HERO OF TIGER BAY”- lying dead in his coffin at the Merriman’s Funeral Home. His wife was released from the New Amsterdam Prison, and her sentence commuted, so that she could be present at the funeral, and be there with her four young children, who needed their mother at that tragic time. She was beside herself with grief. Christopher’s siblings and other close relatives and friends were also crying inconsolably. It was an extremely sad occasion.

Present at that funeral was then Minister of Labour, Dr. Henry Jeffrey, who, in making a speech to the mourners, handed over a cheque from the Ministry of Labour to the widow, to take care of her immediate financial needs. Her prison sentence was also commuted on humanitarian grounds.

In his address at the funeral, Minister Jeffrey also announced that Christopher Stephenson was accredited posthumously, the status of ‘Employee’ of the GS&WC, so that his widow and his fatherless children, could reap the tangible benefit of a pension, for his death in selflessly and bravely saving the lives of two GS&WC workers. Scholarships for the children were also promised, as long as they qualified when the time came around.

That small world of Christopher Stephenson’s Tiger Bay, while demonised by so many, is not altogether unrecognised. During his tenure as the Secretary-General of CARICOM, Dr. Edwin Carrington paid annual visits at Christmas time and took goodies for, and had friendly chats with the children there.

Guyanese Professor, author and Diplomat, Dr. David Dybadeen, also made tangible contributions to the children of Tiger Bay. He organised literary competitions and gave out substantive prizes to the winners. Those presentations were made at elaborate ceremonies at the neighbouring Hotel Tower on Main Street.

The question now is, will Christopher Stephenson be posthumously conferred with that National Award of the Cacique Crown of Valour, bringing closure to his widow and fatherless children, who lost their loved one because he dared to be “The Hero of Tiger Bay”? That depends on those who constitute the Guyana National Awards Committee, and in whose hands is that precious nomination which was submitted since April 2016.