Dave Rambajan is a resident of Present Hope Village, East Bank Essequibo and is regarded as one of the respected elders, who were among the first set of new landowners back in 1964.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine he came to the village as a boy when the place was bushy and there were no roads. It was a time when the few houses were very far apart and there were just a handful of people residing there.

Way back then
The 70-year-old added that today, a lot of strangers have moved into the village, bought lands and have opened businesses such as sawmills.

Rambajan reported that back in the days, the first inhabitants of the village lived simple lives and were farmers. They preferred the simple lifestyle when they used to paddle their small canoes and boats in the Essequibo River to get from one place to another and move their produce.

He explained that the lands back then were owned by the Lanfermans, the De Camps and the Matthews.

Rambajan related that his grandfather came from India and bought a parcel of land from Edward Matthews and settled in the village.

Rambajan disclosed that his grandfather paid $27 for the land and that was in the colonial days and he developed the land where he cultivated rice and cane.

Today, residents have titles for their lands and they live a good life.
Rambajan told the Pepperpot Magazine that in the colonial days, the plantations were named after the children of the owners and those names still exist today.

The farmer explained that his parents used to reside in Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara and during the years they had the disturbances, he fled that village to Present Hope.

His father was originally from Plaisance, East Coast Demerara and settled in Present Hope Village to enjoy the simple life of a farmer.

He added that after his father passed away, he took up the challenge of being a farmer and is now cultivating seven acres of land aback his property.

“I never felt the need to relocate because I like this life and place and this is home. Farming is not easy work but it is honest work and I do it and it has given me so much,” he said.

The father of five, who has 10 grandchildren and reported that he is very pleased with his humble life.

Heart ailment
Rambajan stated he experienced a heart ailment in 1990 and those were hard times when money was limited but he got a break when a non-governmental organisation (NGO) stepped in and paid for his overseas surgery and accommodation.

He became eligible for the ‘Gift of Life’ programme where he went to California in the US and his heart surgery was successful.

Back then it was difficult to get a visa but he did and was very happy but his desire was never to live in that country since Guyana is his homeland.

“Life is living it one day at a time and you must call on God to help you and you must also treat people equally and it is time for people to wake up and acknowledge God’s purpose for us,” he said.

These days, Rambajan would spend his days on his farm and when he gets a break like he did when the Pepperpot Magazine visited, he would browse Facebook to see the Elections Recount happenings.