By Abdool Aziz

IN December 1962, there was a great fanfare at the then Sprostons Shipyard on Lombard Street. A state-of- the- art ship built locally was about to get underway on her maiden voyage to the Essequibo Delta to begin a modern ferry service. Onboard the vessel were the top officials of the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) especially the marine wing. And the professional crews except one.

THE LANDLUBBER
By nature he loved the water. At age 10 he watched the ships come and go at the Parika Stelling and he vowed to be a sailor. At 17, he got that opportunity. He wrote a marine test, passed and to his surprise, was assigned to the newly-christened vessel – The M.V. Lalali. A Landlubber on board this modern ship? He couldn’t believe it. And so, too, the captain and the crew. He got a rude welcome. The mate on reading his credentials said, “Captain Moore is out of his mind to send you here. This ship needs an experienced crew and we’re full, what nonsense!” Just then the skipper passed by. The mate said “Cap, can you imagine, he is coming to work here as a sailor?”
The captain’s reply was “Then put him to work!”
The mate in displease snapped “God, have mercy, join the crew stocking lifejackets”

REJECTION
He introduced himself, no one paid attention. They viewed him with disdain and fear. They felt he was a traitor – a government spy. They kept him at bay and disallowed him from doing anything. He felt the isolation. It was painful but he understood their attitude to him. The marine fleet had less than one percent East Indian sailors. Indo – Guyanese were not too keen to get involved in shipping careers. And to see one on board this magnificent vessel especially a ‘Green Horn’ was questionable. To brand him a ‘mole’ was more plausible. And Indian government was in power. There were race conflicts. Was he working for them? Little did they know that he would eventually be their hero.

WORKING IN FEAR
He was barred from the crew’s quarters. He used the public washroom and slept on the promenade deck exposed to the cold wind. He was given all the menial jobs such as cleaning the bilge – stink water from the ship’s belly. He feared death down there – alone. He loved being a sailor and fought on.

BECOMING THEIR HERO
The country crippled under a general strike and ferry services halted, so the M.V. Lalali was tied up. The government sought his services to help operate his ship. He refused, his crewmates would become a scab. Despite the Government’s warning to fire him, he stuck to principles. He held solidarity with his shipmates. After 80 days of struggle and near starvation, the strike ended. He proudly stepped on the decks of his ‘second home’. This time to a hero’s Welcome. He got the best bunk in the forecastle and was then assigned to be the bridge – a trusted companion. He became their mascot. No political stooge. No racism, no ‘mole’, simply a landlubber wishing to be a seaman. Whatever the view of you – good or bad- know thyself and work for praise.