–former Guyana cricket captain makes positive strides in the field of construction

WITH steady and continuous progress, it is anticipated that Guyana will become the Dubai of the Caribbean and one of the leading economies of the world, and, as such, international and local investors are flocking to get into one of the many sectors in the country.

This is no different for the retired Guyanese captain and West Indies left-hand middle-order batsman, Leon Rayon Johnson, who plans to capitalise on the opportunities that are available.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Johnson said that he spent the first four years of his life in the Amerindian Settlement of Santa Aratak, which is the only indigenous settlement in Region Three (Essequibo-Islands West Demerara).

However, after he was old enough to attend nursery school, the cricketer came to the city of Georgetown, where he lived with his grandparents in Meadow Brook Gardens.

Johnson related that he quickly developed a passion for cricket, but it was during his secondary school years at St. Roses High School in Georgetown in 1999, that he truly realised his talent.

He went on to say that he was about to join the Malteenos Cricket Club, but a few of the senior players from St. Roses High at the time recognised his abilities and advised him to join the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) club instead.

According to Johnson, GCC was producing a lot of national and international players at the time, and he decided to take the older guys’ advice and joined in the early 2000s. Johnson related that he made his debut in 2004, and, within his first four years of joining the club, he was playing senior cricket for Guyana at the age of 16 years old.

The now retired captain said: “I enjoyed playing for Guyana. I played for 19 years for my country. In all, I would have played 16 seasons for Guyana, and sometimes I was left out and didn’t play, but I would have also won numerous championships. I also had the privilege to represent the West Indies, the Guyana Amazon Warriors, and I also played league cricket in England, where I met my wife, Carolyn Johnson, and she gave me our three beautiful children, Joshua Johnson and our twins, Ava and Oliver Johnson.”

He said that even though he had his parents in his life, they migrated when he was young, so they did not play an influential role in his cricketing career.

However, Johnson said he received a lot of inspiration from the players at GCC, but one of the people who supported and encouraged him was his neighbour, Kevin Walcott, who was a football coach in those days.

“Mr. Walcott, gave me a lot of really good advice. I also got advice from guys like Ramnaresh Sarwan and Rayon King, who were very instrumental in my development.

The late Mr. Harold Dhanraj and his son Neil, along with Mr. Mendonza, were very influential in my early years at the GCC, and I am grateful for all of them and the role that they played in my life.”

Even though Johnson became successful at his craft, he remained humble and true to his roots. The former captain said that he was grateful for the sports that enabled him to elevate himself and form a lot of friendships and everlasting bonds with genuine people, both locally and around the world.

Johnson related that he retired from the gentleman’s game so that he could spend more time with his wife and kids, who he said are “pretty young,” and he believes that he should be around to help in their development and to guide them in the right direction.

Along with that, Johnson also teamed up with his teammate, friend, and now business partner Steven Jacobs in venturing out in the construction field and creating their company, “First Change Builders.”

GROWTH MUST CONTINUE
He said: “I think that I have given a lot of my time to cricket, and I believe that now is the time to step away from the playing aspect of it and give some more time to my family. I have always said that there is a life after cricket, and that is why I wanted to start up and establish my business, and that requires a lot of time from me now.”

While cricket will always be his passion, Johnson said that he has always had a keen interest in the construction of houses.

According to him, he had invested in building a few homes as his own private projects while he was still playing the sport; however, he related that while Jacobs was building his jewelry store, he visited him and they had discussions of the design of the building, which further led to them working together.

“Steven and I would have played cricket for a long period of time, and we know each other well, so we decided to work together. Through the sport, we have the drive and discipline to want to do our best, and that is what we are striving for. We want to be the best and give the best to the people of Guyana, and we are happy that we can also provide employment for our own people through our business,” Johnson said.

When it comes to construction in Guyana, Johnson said, “There is a big boom in the construction industry right now in Guyana. Lots of roads, buildings, and housing developments are moving at a rapid pace right now, and I would like to encourage the young people to make full use of the job opportunities that are offered.

“I want my fellow males to know that there is an avenue for you to get employment, provide for your family, and also develop yourselves. You can start off as a labourer at a construction site……”

Currently, Johnson and Jacobs are working in conjunction with the Ministry of Housing to build young professional homes.

According to him, 20 of the homes were completed two months ago, and work has begun on an additional 40 homes at Prospect on the East Bank of Demerara.

Johnson said that those homes are about 30 per cent complete thus far. In addition to that, Johnson related that they are also doing some infrastructural work for a housing scheme along the East Coast of Demerara.

Johnson expressed his gratitude to President, Irfaan Ali for all that he is doing for the people of Guyana.

“The President is a great person, who is very down to earth and is very easy to speak with, and he obviously has a vision for Guyana and all Guyanese. His leadership skills and abilities are second to none… I know how important leadership is from my cricketing career and being the captain of the Guyana cricket team for nine years. I know that the President wants to take us as a people and as a country to new heights by involving a lot of his own Guyanese people.

“In order for us to get out of third-world status and be developed to first-world status, we have to have a leader who is inclusive of everyone, and that is what we have with President Ali. We as people need to do our part as well. While we are sleeping, we have a President who is out in communities in the wee hours of the mornings. He doesn’t have to be out there, but he is doing it, and we need to help him by bettering ourselves and our lives as well,” he said.

Johnson added: “I was never one who followed politics keenly because of cricket and having to travel most of the time, but I cannot think of any President who has been so hands-on and accessible to the people of a nation.

“Every day, you can see the love that this President has for his people, and we can all spread that love with each other as well. One of the things I heard President Ali say that will stay with me forever is ‘humility is the key to life’ and I will like to leave that with us all.”

Johnson said, however, that his cricketing days are not quite over, as he will be playing a very important role in the Guyana Amazon Warriors team for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL). He said that the details will be announced when the time is right, but like all Guyanese, he is optimistic that this will be the year for Guyana to hoist the cup!