PAULETTE Bruce has been residing in Timehri Hill, Red Round Road, East Bank Demerara, at one of the range houses for more than 35 years.

Bruce is a local of Amelia’s Ward, Linden, and the family relocated at first to Mahaica, East Coast Demerara and then to Timehri Hill, then, her father was the foreman for the road construction project that was ongoing.

She explained that her siblings, six girls and two boys, are all grown now and leading their own lives, but she lives with a sister and her niece and nephew.

Bruce related that most of the people living in the range houses are all government workers and their families and some newcomers employed at the CJIA or the army.

She added that that section of the village is very quiet and in her street, which is the first, has a bare tennis court; at times, locals would utilise it to play games.

The community centre ground is at the head of the street but is abandoned and needs upgrading.

Bruce stated that the village has four internal streets, Base Camp Stephenson, and a few shops.

She pointed out that she is a homemaker who takes care of the home and the village is regarded as being safe since the locals look out for each other and keep an eye on things in general.

Bruce reported that her father passed away 17 years ago while, her mother died last year.

She pointed out that the village is safe and one can go to bed without locking the doors; even if anything is amiss, it has to be someone from outside the village.

Kim Lewis, unemployed
Kim Lewis is also a Timehri Hill, Red Ground Road resident and is looking for work since she is caring for two minors, a grandson and a daughter.

The 57-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that she began occupying a piece of land in the village since 2007 after relocating from the city.

The mother of seven added that she had a small business in the form of a snackette, in the city, during the pandemic but that business folded.

She was the recipient of a small business loan and after sales were slow she could no longer regain the capital to invest.

Lewis explained that she is desperate for a job because she is able-bodied and has to take care of her 16-year-old daughter and grandson, who is seven years old.
She added that things have been hard on her after her small business flopped and she has been looking for work since.

Even though she applied for the cleaner job at CJIA, she did not get any response.

“My children would pitch in with money to help me but that goes towards food so I have other financial needs that need to be met, so I have to get a job to provide for us adequately,” she explained.

Lewis doesn’t have any electricity nor potable water supply and her living conditions are not good.

Vincent Class
Vincent Class is a resident of the Old Ice House Road, Timehri and he has one of the best-kept yards and home in his street.

The 60-year-old maintains a lovely flower and plant garden in his yard and also has a kitchen garden in the backyard.

Class told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is a native of Endeavour, Demerara River but left that riverain village more than 27 years ago due to schooling for his three children.

He stated that he wanted his children to go to good schools and he decided to leave in search of a better life.

Class said he is employed as a security guard at Bounty Farms Limited, works the night shift, and is at home during the days to prepare meals and take care of things in and around the home.

“I like the quietness of this place and the space as if in nature and it suits me just right because the people around here live well with each other and there is no need for fence and such things,” he said.

Class would pick up the discarded pieces of plants and flowers from his workplace after the gardener would complete making his rounds on the grounds and he would set it in his yard.

As such, he has amassed dozens of plants and flowers, enhancing the environment.

In the backyard, Class has a cultivation of bora, corilla, plantain, boulanger and tanya.

Class has a pet dog, Chase, for about a year now and that dog is in charge of security in the yard he (Class) shares with his daughter and her family.