ADRIAN Sanders is a resident of Tuschen North, Extension Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, and he is of the view that the village has come a long way, considering it was once overrun by bushes and was a squatting area.
He has been living at the location for the past 30 years and noted that after the community was regularised in 1996, it began to develop and it was the way forward.
Sanders stated that they were asked to visit the Ministry of Housing to get the title for their land and that he paid a total of $68,000, $60,000 for the land and $8000 for the processing fee.
He related that the village has seen some development over the years and has become even more populated.
Sanders pointed out that the community is usually quiet and the only issue is that when it rains, the water accumulates to five to six inches before it runs off the land.
The fireman told the Pepperpot Magazine that they had one major flooding in the 1990s and the internal street, which serves as a major one, was upgraded but has deteriorated over time.
Sanders is originally from Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara but got married and settled in Tuschen North, and over the years, he did a lot of work to bring his house and land to the standard it is to date.
He is married to Ottolin Sanders and they share an equally nice home; they are surrounded by good neighbours, a really close-knit community.
Sanders reported that a large number of Spanish families have moved into the village within the past three years and they have created a little settlement aback the village and they are co-existing with the locals.
“This is a nice place to live and the people are good. My best friend is my neighbour, an Indian fellow and we have good relations, not only as neighbours, but as humans,” he said.
Sanders, a fireman for 33 years, told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is in charge of the Melanie Fire Station and it is a job he has grown to love and wouldn’t have it any other way.
It was by sheer luck he became a fireman and it was probably for the best, because he was desperate for employment at that time and the job made him into a disciplined person over the years.
Sanders added that his child’s mother was in the hospital, and there she met a woman, a patient as well, and they became friends and it was during one of those talks they discussed that he was looking for work.
It was when he visited and met the husband of his child’s mother’s friend, he was asked if he wanted to become a fireman. At that time, the man was the training officer of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and he grabbed the opportunity and enrolled.
Today, Sanders has 33 years of unbroken service to the GFS, having joined the job in 1990 and worked his way up the chain of command.
The father of seven told the Pepperpot Magazine that he was young and unemployed and there was nothing going for him then, so his best option was to be gainfully employed.
Sanders added that he did work as a labourer and also spent six years in the army and in those days getting a permanent job was like finding gold.
