By Michel Outridge
Gavin Semple is a resident of Trafalgar Village, West Coast Berbice and when the team met him, he was at a relative’s shop, taking some breeze.
The taxi driver, who usually plies his trade in the city, said because of the novel coronavirus he is forced to stay in the village since the movement of people is restricted.
He has been residing in Trafalgar for the past 13 years and is originally from Belladrum, also on the West Coast Berbice.
Semple, a very out-going guy, reported that he came to Trafalgar as a result of marriage and it has become home for him.
“This is my sister-in-law’s shop but it closed due to the coronavirus and we does come here play some dominoes, have a chat to pass time, and take some breeze because if you worry it stresses you out,” he explained.
Semple plies the Georgetown to Rosignol route but working his car has been put on hold since the curfew was put in place and only essentials businesses are allowed to operate.
“Two days now this shop isn’t opened for business and a lot of people are not working too,” he said.
Semple related that Trafalgar is a blessed village because the people have skills and they sue it to make a living.
“In this village, people don’t sit down and be lazy, they work and they do things to upkeep themselves,” he said.
The taxi driver added that most young men in the village are skilled tradesmen and they have some miners too.
Semple was just sitting there hoping some friends show up so he can have a chat to pass time because he was a kind of bored being at home.
The team also met Edwin Monah, who was with another resident, they were on their way to take home some goats which were grazing in the backlands.
The 61-year-old was on a bicycle guiding the goats home.
Monah added he has 15 goats and he would graze them along with another goat owner.
Some of the goats had on a wooden collar because he received complaints they were entering the garden of people and destroying crops.
During a walkabout in Trafalgar Village the team also met Simon Gordon, he is one of the contractors residing and working in the community.
He told the Pepperpot Magazine that after he left the army, having spent 15 years of his young life he used to work with a cousin, building houses and making thing and he developed a liking for the trade.
Gordon, a very humble man related that he lived almost all his life in the village and after he acquired skills constructing houses including, his own, he started to expand and build a lot of houses in the village, some of which he opened out to the team.
The father of four stated that it feels good to be working in his village and it is very convenient since he doesn’t have to leave the place.
Currently, he has a few employees, including villagers, and he was constructing a house next door to his, which was incomplete but taking shape.
“I feel good, providing a service to the people of this village and being here is nice because I live in peace and I have a good life because I make it that way as a countryman,” he said.
Gordon added that apart from being a contractor, he has some goats, a few cows and some chickens and he makes a comfortable living in Trafalgar Village.
“I even got a son working with me and things are a bit slow now but good in general because we have to look at the positives,” he explained.
