PATRICK McCloud is a resident of Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo. When the Pepperpot Magazine team caught up with him, he had just returned home from work.

With his mask on, he related that he is a security guard at one of the big stores in Parika, and just made a dash home for a quick bite.

He is originally from the North West District (NWD), and had been residing in Bushy Park for the past two years with his wife, in a well-kept house.

“I just come home for a quick bite; I hungry bad, and can’t talk now, because I have to go back to the worksite, a store, before the lunch period is over,” he said.

At 70 years old, McCloud said he still has to work to support himself and his wife, since all the children are grown and do not live with them.

With only a few words, he went to have lunch.

The Pepperpot Magazine also encountered another resident, Kenrick Ifill, who was operating his manual pushcart, going on a job. “I doing this work for 13 years now, simply because I wanted to work with myself. And I made this wooden cart to push and carry load,” he said.

Ifill added that he is from Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, and has two children and a wife to support.

“I does operate from Parika Junction, just by the bus park, and carry whatever goods or bags for people at a reasonable price,” he said.

He explained that he never wanted to do any government work, and feels better as a self-employed person, even though it is hard, back-breaking labour.

Ifill, a very approachable and patient man, told the team that he charges a fair price, depending on the load he has to carry via his manual pushcart named, “One More Night”, which is numbered 43. He related that the name “One More Night” on his push-cart means “I live to see another night; another day”, and it suits him.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that at Parika Junction, there are about 120 manual push-carts in operation, and one has to vie for work, especially from people taking the ferry, or who arrived by the ferry.

Ifill noted that despite the pandemic, he remains optimistic that “we will survive to see better days,” even though things are at standstill presently.

Our team also met Medwin Gibson, who was with a friend on a bicycle with a mixed game bird or fighter fowl.

The young man said his bird is not a game –bird, but a pet. He said, too, that he has a few birds in his yard, and that he is very fond of them. “I does mind these birds; I am not involved in game-fighting at all,” he said.