One of Mocha/Arcadia’s finest

JOSEPH Pollydore is a resident of Mocha/Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, who wrote the history of the village and presented it to the large gathering when the community celebrated its 100th anniversary some years ago.

The 89-year-old passes his time still writing mostly poems and does a bit of reading as well.
Recalling how the idea was birthed, Pollydore told the Pepperpot Magazine that back then they had a village movement and when some developers visited a meeting was called.

At that meeting, a young man asked what is the meaning of the word Mocha, the name of the village but no one present could answer and that prompted Pollydore to do some research.

Pollydore, who has a vested interest in the development of the village explained that he had the time and energy then and he visited the Local Authority office after which he was directed to the office of the Lands and Surveys Commission.

There, he was given some information which he used to bring together the history of the village which was reproduced into a booklet.

Pollydore is writing a poem which will be read for Mocha/Arcadia’s 125th-anniversary celebrations which will take place in May this year.

When the Pepperpot Magazine visited his home he was relaxing on the verandah reading and writing as usual. The elderly man said he is taking it easy these days given his age.

“I had a motorcar accident in 1973 and my face was badly disfigured as a result. I lost sight in my right eye even though I have one eye I still have the blessing of reading which I enjoy,” he said.

In his early days, Pollydore worked with the then Guyana Water Authority (now Guyana Water Inc.) as a pump operator at Limlair, Corentyne, Berbice for eight years.

He recalled he was transferred to Mocha/Arcadia village 50 years ago and it was then he became familiar with the people of the community and decided to settle down and established a family.

The father of two said his family is quite large and that he has grandchildren and great, great grandchildren as well. Pollydore said, “I had three children but one died but the family is big, is a good set of them but to tell you how many right now I can’t recall because my memory isn’t as good as before.”

This senior citizen is being cared for by one of his daughters and is hopeful that his poems of recent times would be put together into a book and be placed in the village library.

Unable to go out as he wanted, Pollydore said he used to like going to church but these days he doesn’t move around much but the members of the Mocha/Arcadia Brethren Church would visit him at home to give him communion.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that when he came to Mocha/Arcadia in 1968 and the place was completely surrounded by cane fields and drainage canals and he is, however, pleased with the transformation of the village where there are many houses and the establishment of new housing schemes.

Back in the earlier days, Mocha/Arcadia was occupied primarily by people of African ancestry during the days of slavery. The community derived its name from the principal activity that used to be engaged in there: coffee production. Located about six miles from Georgetown it is a rich farming village.