By Michel Outridge

AT 76 years of age, Ann Harvey is restoring old furniture and making high-end crafted furniture for sale right from her home in Silver Hill, Soesdyke-,Linden Highway.

Ann Harvey, the first resident of Silver Hill, is Guyanese, but migrated to London and returned here in 1973.

Harvey, her husband — who was a citizen of Grenada — and their six children upon their return to Guyana, were housed at the rear of the village in the Transition Centre for two weeks.

After that, they got some posts, wood and zinc and erected a small house in which they resided.

It was on April 1, 1976, that they got a lease for the land and built a much better house which is still standing, but a large one is being constructed on the same plot.

Unfortunately, Harvey’s husband passed away in 2011, but he was praised for starting the first school in the community and for teaching music.

He promoted music and cultural development within the village and started the school in a ‘bottom house’; when they had i 35 children attending, they approached the Ministry of Education.

It was a resident, Miss Martin, who was instrumental in those meetings with the authorities and later a school was constructed in 1977.

Harvey’s husband further gifted the school their first piano and taught the children how to play and they become so good that they were invited by “Billy” Pilgrim to perform at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).

Harvey taught craft at President’s College and founded the health outpost in the Demerara River.

Today, she is quite contented with the serene and tranquil life at Silver Hill and is busy in the yard making high-end craft pieces of furniture based on orders.

Harvey stated that the children also participated in the CARIFESTA games back then and was given certificates of merit for their performances.

She is the mother of Dr. Alexandria Harvey, who is attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Medical Teaching Service.

“We have about 160 residents in Silver Hill with some being weekend villagers, while others reside there permanently,” she said. “Silver Hill is my home and I really like it here because it is so quiet and I have a lot of space to plant and make my furniture,” she said.

The teacher from Amelia’s Ward has her getaway place in Silver Hill
Another resident who thought Silver Hill was ideal to settle down in is Pauline Romascindo who lives just next door to Harvey. Romascindo and her family, have an acre plot on which they farm for domestic use.

She is a teacher attached to Linden Foundation School and since schools closed in March she left her Amelia’s Ward home and went to her place at Silver Hill for some much-needed peace and quiet.

“We had the land for five years and did nothing to it and then we decided to construct a small house and cultivate the land with fruits and vegetables for the kitchen,” she said.

Romascindo told the Pepperpot Magazine that the one and a half plot was cleared, which took some time and effort and they began utilising the land for farming, a hobby which is therapeutic.

The mother of two related that she has the time now to do things and that is what she is focusing on and still has time to make craft while her elderly mother, Jean Wagner, who does more of the farming, would sew face masks for sale.

“I am in no hurry to return to Amelia’s Ward, because I like it here and I am doing the things I wanted to for a long time,” she said.

Romascindo’s children are 19 and 23 years old and they are at home in Amelia’s Ward taking care of things there.

“We eat what we plant and the only thing we have to buy for the kitchen is shallots, because we grow a lot,” she said.