Last week the Pepperpot Magazine visited the countryside village of Perth Village, Branch Road, Mahaicony, to highlight the way of life of the locals.

The first resident the team encountered was Keith James, an elder of the community who is well known and well liked as he was relaxing on his verandah after completing some household chores, including cooking a pot of stewed beef and rice.

The 75-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that he was a rice and cattle farmer when he was much younger, but these days he is cultivating only rice and sold all his cows years ago.

James added that his mother gave birth to him at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and he grew up in New Providence, Mahaicony, a small village located about five miles from central Mahaicony.

He reported that after the disturbances of the 1960s, he was forced to relocate to Perth Village after his grandfather swapped the land he had in New Providence.

James stated that today he is still residing on his ancestral lands and all the lands in Perth Village are privately owned and there are vast backlands utilised for farming and cattle rearing.

The elder noted that most of the locals of Perth Village are related either by blood or marriage. It is a very close-knit neighbourhood where the people are kind, cooperative and very neighbourly.

James lives alone, but he is surrounded by relatives, including his nephew, who is next door and he has a very comfortable life with a simple, daily agenda in getting things done early before taking a sip with his friends.

“We had plenty cows back in the days because I had mine plus the lady, Doris Ross, that I grew up with had too, so we reared those until I became of age and quit that kind of farming and sold the cattle,” he said.

The father of three explained that his children are all grown and they have jobs and their own lives elsewhere.

One of his children is a doctor at Fort Wellington Hospital, another a Justice of the Peace in central Mahaicony and a son in Anguilla.

James has two grandchildren and his wife passed away at age 72 in 2015.

“Life is good here, quiet, breezy and just right for that rural lifestyle where we aren’t in a rush to do anything since there is enough time and the only thing I does worry about is the boys in the village would come when I am not at home and pick all the mangoes from my tree. They would not even leave one behind; so I asked someone to pick them for me this time,” he said.

The resident of Perth Village told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is early due to habit and would get up around 04:00hrs and begin his cooking by dawn. He is ready to have breakfast and time to sip and chat with his friends.

“At times I would go via my bicycle to central Mahaicony where I would meet up friends and have a drink or two before returning home,” he said.

James noted that he worked hard for many years and now it is his time to enjoy his golden years as a pensioner, who served as a councillor and village leader.

He credits his longevity to eating freshly prepared foods, using fruits from the environment, and being active.

James has some bananas and mangoes which he will take to his daughter’s shop at cen

tral Mahaicony to sell when he has a harvest.

The elder stated that he came from a family of five brothers and two sisters, two of whom have since passed away and their lives were simple because his parents were farmers who worked the land to earn.

James also makes his own coconut oil from dry coconuts on his property and he would use that oil solely for cooking and for his skin.

He would make enough to last him a while and when it is depleted, he would make another fresh batch to store.

“I don’t cook all day, I would make one meal that would last all day so I have time to do other things,” he said.

The licensed butcher, Seline Singhroy

Meanwhile, while passing through Belmonte/Mahaica Market the team met a spritely licensed butcher, Seline Singhroy of North Supply, Mahaica.

The 65-year-old is an energetic person who has a very giving disposition; on some days she would give away more than she sells.

Singhroy told the Pepperpot Magazine that she became a licensed butcher more than 40 years ago and would usually sell beef at the Mahaica Market on Fridays and Saturdays, but due to the festive season she would be there from Mondays to Saturdays for the period.

The mother of two sells a pound of halall beef for only $600 and had all cuts available, including meats for the pepperpot and curry or stew.

Singhroy told the Pepperpot Magazine that her husband was a trained teacher and back then they had very little and she came from a family of 11 siblings, so instead of going to school she had to work and became a butcher.

She co-owns the butchery with her sons, has a stall at a good spot, and provides employment for two men.

Singhroy is also a farmer of fruits and has some cows.

“Giving is part of me, so when I can I would give whatever I have to people even my customers, because we must help each other to have a better world,” she said.