By Joe Chapman
FOUNDER of the Silvertown All Star Sports Club, Patrick ‘Zar’ Caesar, is appealing for more sports equipment for his Silvertown-based facility.
The club has over 80 members, youths ranging from 8 to 19 years who are eager to make the right choices in life as they face the vicissitudes of living in a community that struggles with the use of illicit drugs, among other distractions.
‘Zar’ opines that the Silver Town All Stars Club became a necessity over 25 years ago, since at the time marijuana-smoking was the main thing for young people.
He said, “So we tried to put something in place so as to take away the minds of these young people in Silvertown and other nearby communities from smoking, by building this place known as the Silvertown All Star Sports Club by self-help, and by the time Dr Bharat Jagdeo became President of Guyana, he came on board with us and helped us to be where we are today.”
During the late 1990s and early 2000s Zar said, “There was a self-help drive and other places like Green Construction, who were contractors with the Linden bauxite operations, among other businesses, helped to bring us to the stage where we can play on the field by doing back-filling.”
He said Mrs Philomena Sahoye-Shury, then National Director of the Community Development Council (CDC) was helpful through SIMAP as the pavilion was built and a tennis table and dominoes were received. Vice President Dr Jagdeo ensured books were given for the library as there was an emphasis placed with education for the many youths in the area.
But things went downstream Zar said and there was a lapse when there was a change in Government in 2015. However, when the PPP/C government took office again in 2020 “we again got some lift upwards but there is so much more that can be done for us here in Silvertown, he emphasised.
The president of the Silvertown All Star Sports Club reiterated, “Right now sports is not like before and there is need for two goalposts as more and more young people from the community and others use the All Star field from time to time.”
“They are coming out in the afternoons and if we don’t have that provision we will lose them to smoking drugs. We need help no doubt for these young people and to put them in the community to do things like phonics classes and teach them things like becoming a mechanic or developing a skill.”
He continued, “We have a basketball tarmac that does not have a proper ring, but a makeshift ring and backboard where they come and play in the afternoon. We are asking around for two stanchions and rings so that they can continue to play in the afternoon.”
In December last year, Zar was presented with five footballs by the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation.
“We are extremely grateful. The footballs were helpful to the youngsters who are engaged in coaching clinics at weekends. and we are looking for many more donations since we have a responsibility to the youths especially in this community where we live in Silvertown, Wismar, Linden.
