A community bursting with potential

DONNA Barker is a resident of Hyde Park, Timehri Valley and in that part of the village it is very clean and well-kept, since she is a home-maker, who does her bit to take care of the environment.

Even though her house is the last on that side, she has a lovely garden and some trees to complement the surroundings and is a stay-at-home mother of one, who is unwell and has to undergo surgery.

The 45-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that life in that section of the valley is good and she is making the most of it despite some challenges in not having a road and other things.

Barker stated that she is originally from the city, but relocated to Hyde Park Valley 45 years ago with her parents and siblings.

The mother of one stated that her grown son is residing with her and he would assist her with the chores. That day when the team visited, he was cooking a pot of curried pork which had a strong aroma that gave off a sense of it being delicious.

The young man in question is Ryan Barker, a barber, who works from home and has a makeshift barber shop at the side of his house.

The 25-year-old is hoping to open his own small business in the near future at his home and has a positive outlook on life in general, an excellent quality for progression in life.

Barker stated that she is surrounded by relatives, so it is a safe place to reside and they co-exist in peace and they have a lot to be thankful for.

“I am accustomed to life here and it is not that bad that you will want to move out, but we are hoping for the best because this is what we call home,” she said.

Barker enjoys the simpler things in life such as going to the creek, which is about five minutes of walking from her home, to take a dip in the cool water or wash.

They store rainwater for drinking and cooking purposes.

Dev Singh
The team also spoke with Dev Singh, the former Chairman of the Soesdyke Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), who reported that Hyde Park Valley is still in various forms of being regularised.

He explained that Timehri began taking shape when the Atkinson Air Field was established following World War 11 in 1945 at High Hill, then the army base was constructed and more people began visiting.

Singh stated that in 1976, Ideal, the maker of refrigerators and then Colgate/Palmolive opened their businesses in Timehri as well and things started to boom with more people moving in the community looking for work.

He added that a lot of people from Corentyne and East Berbice came to Timehri in those days for work and some settled there and eventually, their families joined them. That’s how the valley was inhabited.

Singh told the Pepperpot Magazine that the NDC covers from Madewini to Coverden, but they have a sub-office in Timehri and some work was done in the valley over the years to bring it to an acceptable standard for the locals.

He reported that Timehri became even more populated when Barama Company started its operations there, and also even more people came when the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project started years ago.

Singh stated that many people came from all over the country and settled in Timehri, most of whom were in the army back then and brought along their relatives and immediate family members.

The Soesdyke resident told the Pepperpot Magazine that he was with the Soesdyke NDC for two years before he started his own small business from his home as a Justice of Peace of oaths and affidavits and also has a consultancy firm.

He resides on the Soesdyke Public Road near the mandir and specialises in all document-related work, including compliances and taxes.