By Michel Outridge 

RALPH Hendricks is a community man and a family-oriented husband, who shoulders the responsibility of Capoey Mission to ensure that villagers are comfortable and that development abounds.

He has been the Toshao for Capoey Mission for the past three years and retired head teacher for Capoey Primary School and has the village and its people at heart.

Hendricks told the Pepperpot Magazine that his role in the village is to serve as the leader, who puts the people first and governs the Village Council.

He related that he is the chairperson for all meetings and is responsible for all developments within the village and act as a mediator to settle all internal disputes and issues.

The village leader added that the Village Council is made up of seven councillors, himself included, and they oversee all developmental works within the Mission.

He stated that Capoey Mission is a registered indigenous reservation which was first inhabited by the Wapishanas, but due to a plague, that tribe was wiped out, according to the legend.

He added that the Arawaks, mostly from Region One (Barima-Waini), came and settled on Capoey Mission. Hendricks noted that the Mission is about two and a half miles wide and is a large lake within a lake.

“We have another lake which is on the right side of the village called ‘Calabash Lake’ and it is about three-quarter miles in diameter and we are the closest reservation to the Essequibo Coast, which is about two miles away,” he said.

Hendricks pointed out that the development of Capoey Mission started a long time ago with the missionaries who established churches and later schools; however, in 1976, the then government constructed school buildings housing the nursery and primary schools.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that Capoey Mission has a health post with at least two health workers, a primary school, a nursery school, teachers’ quarters, five churches, a library, an all-purpose hall, a large benab, the village council building and a Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) solar-powered water system for the entire village, which is outfitted with 16 black tanks on a concrete trestle.

The village leader added that within Capoey they have a housing scheme called “Georgeville,” where 50 Food For The Poor (FFTP) funded houses equipped with solar panels was constructed some years ago.

Hendricks added that Capoey Mission itself sits on four acres of land, but Capoey is larger in size and there are parts with thick vegetation and jungle for hunting.

The toshao pointed out that there is a standpipe water supply to every house in Capoey and some folk have generators in addition to the solar-powered systems; the quality of life there is comfortable.

He noted that residents earn their livelihoods by wood-cutting, gold-mining, sand-mining, small- scale farming and fishing.

“The Village Council has their own tractor with two trailers which aid in the cleaning of the village; we also have a bus for transporting schoolchildren to and from school every day and our own school boat as well,” he said.

The toshao disclosed that six villagers are employed in sand-mining in Capoey, which is managed by the Village Council and money garnered from the sales goes towards the development and upkeep of the Mission.

He added that they make do with the money and try to improve the village and also maintain the village adequately.

Hendricks stated that all activities are held at the Village Benab; he looks forward to it being transformed into a flurry of activities to host their village heritage celebration.

The toshao told the Pepperpot Magazine that the Village Council will be preparing wild meat Pepperpot to go with home-made cassava bread and to ‘wash down’ with some home-made ‘fly’ and cassiri wine; samples will be gifted to visitors.

Hendricks said the toshao’s work is not new to him because he has been in that post for 12 straight years. He then took up the position of headmaster and spent 10 years in the Pomeroon teaching and later returned to Capoey Mission, where he was elected toshao for three years in a row.

“This is my last term as toshao, because I made the decision to let go and make way for a young person to take up the responsibility; I will be more than happy to guide that individual,” he said.