The people of Mortice Village
Shahendra Singh from Nonpareil, East Coast
Demerara throwing his cast net in a canal at
Branch Road, Mahaicony.
Shahendra Singh from Nonpareil, East Coast Demerara throwing his cast net in a canal at Branch Road, Mahaicony.

By Michel Outridge

AS the head teacher for Mortice Primary School, Sharmilla Balkarran is as down-to-earth as it gets. She would walk to school every day on week days to ensure that pupils get their worksheets and all worksheets are marked.

She lives a short distance from the school and when the team met her, she was on her way home after tending to pupils.

Balkarran stated that even though schools are not fully opened to accommodate all pupils, she would tend to them in small groups before ending the workday, due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

With all protocols observed, such as hand-washing, wearing of face masks, sanitising and social distancing, pupils will go to the school to get their worksheets, have them marked and small interactions are held.

The head teacher has 15 pupils in her class and she would try to reach out to all of them, because in their village the internet service is very bad and it doesn’t allow on-line learning, so they have to meet at the school.

Feroze Mohamed on his fishing expedition in Branch Road, Mahaicony

Balkarran reported that weekly worksheets are given by the Department of Education at Fort Wellington and she would have to check in weekly, since she is in charge of five teachers.

The mother of two stated that she doesn’t go out often, except to school, and when she has to report to the Department of Education at the Fort Wellington office, a few villages away.

The head teacher reported that the pandemic has left the pupils frightened and they too are afraid to go to school, but as is, they are trying to reach out to every child to ensure that they have classwork to occupy their time at home.

The Pepperpot Magazine also met another villager, a housewife and mother, Sahodra Baldeo, who was relaxing in her hammock after completing household chores and cooking.

She stated that life in the country is very quiet and breezy and they enjoy relative peace, because the people are not nosey and they are familiar with each other and too busy to be idle.

Baldeo added that the men would wake up early and go to the backlands to work and the only child, a grown son, would go to work outside the village and return before nightfall.

The catch

“I am from the creek, a place called Pine Ground, but when I got married I came to live here, in Mortice with my husband 27 years ago, so this is home,” she said.

Baldeo noted that they keep in the know as it relates to news via the television and they are organised and are accustomed to the quiet country life.

She pointed out that vans would come in the village with greens and groceries, but at times they go to the central point, that is, Mahaicony Junction, where there is a market.

Baldeo has a kitchen garden and a flower garden which are well-kept and trimmed and it enhances the already beautiful surrounding of her spacious yard, which has no shortage of trees.

Like most residents, they eat what they grow in their gardens and farms and for meat they have their livestock and chickens.

The Mortice resident reported that things are a bit slow in the community and there is no rush to do things and they live quite peacefully, as is.

She, however, would like the village to get street lights; being semi-remote, the place is very dark at nights and they welcome landline phone service and an upgraded road.

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