Home to first and second generations

LINDON Jones, better known as “Blackie”, is a resident of Cinderella City and he is among the first settlers of the community.

The 58-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that his parents moved to squat in the village when he was a small child and they are originally from Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara.

Jones added that in 1967, when they relocated to Cinderella City, it was a jungle with nothing but big trees and his parents, with a few other families such as the Fiedtkous, the Alleynes, Flemings and the Harrys began clearing the land.

He explained that back then, the men used the wood to bake charcoal in man-made pits and sold it to earn.

Only Peter Harry and Edward Fiedtkou are still alive and living in the village while the others, including his parents, who first occupied the land, have since passed on, but their descendants are also residing in the community.

Jones explained that his father was a carpenter and a very skilled one, too who built most of the houses in the village.

His father passed away about seven years ago and his mother died earlier. He has five siblings and he has his own plot of land where he has established a small business, a shop.

Jones told the Pepperpot Magazine that they had occupied a spot at the rear of the village just above the valley in those days. He remembered the Sun Chapman vessel which they referred to as the Harriage Carr transported passengers and goods from Georgetown to Linden via the Demerara River before the Soesdyke-Linden Highway was constructed in 1966.

The Cinderella City resident stated that he used to work in the interior and as he matured, he realised he wanted to be close to home and three years ago, he opened a shop in front of his house.

Jones was in the army in the 1990s before he began working in the hinterland and he had a farm of ground provisions.

He disclosed that he was told that the village got its name from the late Minister Shirley Field-Ridley, who had visited the village and they wanted to participate in recreational games, and they could not enrol without a village name.

Jones added that the then-minister asked for their advice on naming the village and they agreed that Cinderella City was appropriate; thus the name derived and it was in the 1980s.
Presently, the village has a playground at the community entrance but no facilities such as a community centre for the children and youths.

“I try to live life to the fullest. I like the freedom here, I grew up here and I have a family and a small business and it is comfortable despite some challenges, but it is home for me,” he said.

Jones explained that he relocated to Cinderella City when he was just two years old and when his parents were out, the neighbours, Mr. Alleyne and his wife would take care of him until his folks were back.

He stated that the early settlers did all the work in clearing the land for occupancy and there weren’t many. Still, they worked tirelessly to bring the place to an acceptable standard to become a safe habitat from its former jungle-like state.

Jones said it would be nice to benefit from a resource centre or a community centre, especially for the youths and children who are plentiful in the village, for them to have a safe space for recreational activities and skills training since they have the land for that.

He noted that there is a lot of unemployment among the youths who have become idle.

Jones told the Pepperpot magazine that Cinderella City is a safe place to live and he has no desire to relocate.