– Cane Grove residents committed to community development

AIMING high and setting standards are norms for Lothoya McKenzie, a teacher attached to Virginia Primary School, Cane Grove, who is a volunteer and the mastermind behind the Macmind Reading Programme.

McKenzie is a resident of Virginia Village, Cane Grove, and she has partnered with the Cane Grove Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) to establish the reading programme, Macmind Reading, which caters to learners.

The reading programme runs for two weeks and lasts for eight hours at a time and it was a vision of McKenzie, who had no resources, so the NDC came on board to provide the materials needed and offer the use of their building.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that it is her way of giving back to society and she has been active in volunteer activities in the community for the past six years.

McKenzie always wanted to become a teacher and she fulfilled that wish when she applied and was granted the opportunity to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Guyana (UG) in Education. She will be the point person when they launch the STEM project at the school.

Shelly Petrie
Meanwhile, at the same school, the head teacher is Shelly Petrie, who has been at the location since 2017 and has been in the teaching profession for the past 32 years.

“I chose this profession. Growing up I always wanted to be a teacher and I had that in mind all through school, admiring the teachers of those days, well-dressed role models and I told myself I will be that teacher one day,” she said.

Petrie attended the Bladen Hall Secondary School and when it was career day, she portrayed herself as a teacher for one week and knew right away it was her choice of career because she enjoyed it considerably.

After sitting the CSEC she took some time-off and then joined the teaching profession and Virginia Primary School is her fourth school since.

Petrie is from Unity/Lancaster Village and makes the daily commute on weekdays to Cane Grove for school, but she doesn’t mind.

“Knowing that I played a part in seeing a child grow academically and make something of their adult life is a real joy, because that is my role to mould young minds and it is always good to see them succeed,” she said.

Petrie was also a Sunday school teacher and has other teachers in the family.

She has close relations with the community, the parents and the 16 teachers she supervises and likes the quietness and safety of Cane Grove.

Aunty Pet
Tandica Gonsalves, better known as Aunty Pet is a fixture at the head of Manager’s Line, Cane Grove, where her stall is; she is the schoolchildren’s vendor, among two others.

Aunty Pet is well known and well liked in the community because she daily serves up tasty snacks, black pudding and other delicious eatables.

She has been vending in the village for the past 29 years and she is a household name, especially on weekends; she would take orders for black pudding, egg ball and cassava ball with mango sour.

The 54-year-old is a very friendly person who keeps her surroundings clean and has everything on her stall organised; and she also has a hammock to rest when she feels a bit tired.

On weekdays, Aunty Pet has cold beverages, packaged goodies, channa, pholurie, hot dogs, and chicken burgers for sale.

Recalling how she started, she told the Pepperpot Magazine that she used to sell with a butter bowl of channa prepared with some sour and as she began to save money, she began buying more and her small business was established.

Aunty Pet stated that as a mother of one, she was never idle and that will not change and prefers to earn her own money and be independent.

She would wake up at 02:00hrs in the morning to prepare snacks for her stall; by 06:30hrs she would be at the location to start selling.

Her son, who is a taxi driver would transport her to the location and he would be there at 15:30hrs to pick her up for home, a daily routine for weekdays.

Aunty Pet has maintained her clientele over the years due to her prompt service, reliability, and providing wholesome quality snacks and at pocket-friendly prices.

“I am a disciplined person who is humble, and I would go about my day even if I am not feeling like it, but I can’t give up or become complacent; people depend on me to provide a service and I will do it,” she said.