Linden man urges togetherness among Guyanese people

FORTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD Nigel London has called the little village of Fair’s Rust “home” for most of his life. Fair’s Rust is a little community that neighbours the village of Watooka and is used to access Richmond Hill. The community, like many other villages in the town of Linden, was created as a result of mining. Villages like Coomacka, Watooka and Three Friends housed the hard-working labourers and operators. But historically, Fair’s Rust was among the few places dedicated to housing managers and upper-level employees of the bauxite companies, particularly Guymine.

Villager and long-standing member of the community, Nigel London, grew up in the community of Fair’s Rust, and he remembers the community as a beautiful and vibrant place. But in recent times, with the decrease in population, among other things, Nigel says that Fair’s Rust no longer looks the way it once did. “This was a semi gated community,” Nigel shared. He elaborated further, stating, “Only managers could have lived here, which is why my family got into the area. All of these homes would have been well maintained.”

The Watooka Day Primary School was once known as just the Watooka Day School. It was and still is one of the few primary schools in the immediate area. And it was the school that Nigel himself attended. He shared that, “All the children would go to the Watooka day school. It wasn’t primary school then. We had fully air-conditioned rooms, wall-to-wall carpeting.”

“Growing up here was privileged to some extent. I have one brother and two sisters, and I am the youngest,” Nigel stated. Fair’s Rust today is a quaint, quiet, almost suburban neighbourhood. With its many beautiful homes, well-kept roads and charming atmosphere, it is easy to see why so many would have loved to call this community home.

Nigel is a contractor who still finds time to do farming and what he considers his most important venture, preaching. “My farm is in West Watooka, which is across the river. Farming lately has been interesting.” Nigel explained that although farming in Linden could use further support, it is still an exciting field to be a part of.

The interesting pairing of construction with farming, Nigel says, came naturally, since, he says the two career paths are not as different as some may think. Explaining that for someone who is looking into rearing pigs and sheep, knowing how to construct a pen or sty is vital.

Nigel is a firm believer in diversifying oneself. He believes that as long as certain tasks and responsibilities are of particular importance, people will live healthier and more productive lives. “I am quite diverse. I am also a preacher. But it is not a profession. I am not paid to do it, and never have been paid a salary.”

Nigel stated that prioritising things of importance is one of the primary rules by which he lives his life. He shared that, “Whatever is of less importance, I don’t pay attention to it. First, for me, is my God, then my family. Third are the saints, the people in my church and then my business.”

Fair’s Rust is home to approximately 300 people, and in the community’s early years, everyone was close-knit and the village more resembled that of one big family. But today, Nigel says that some of that brotherly love and Linden hospitality have been lost to the changing times and the change in people.

He stated that, “A lot of new faces have come into the community. Initially, only managers lived here, so you knew just about everybody because your parents worked in the same place and we would have sports and fun days. We would interact with each other and we went to the same school.”

Linden is oftentimes revered for its people and their relationship with each other. This love, appreciation and cooperation among each other, Nigel says, stemmed from bauxite mining. “I think the closeness came from mining. Because even those who came from other countries came because of bauxite mining; they would have all worked in the same company,” he explained.

He went on further explaining that because mining was what the majority did, the relationships forged in the mines all those years ago live today in the lives Lindeners have for each other. “It was the only activity you had in Linden, which was bauxite mining in terms of economics. So from that work relationship, our fore-parents had spilled over into us being able to interact and be very close-knit as a community.” Nigel stated.

People are any community’s biggest defining characteristic and often its greatest strength. And sometimes division among people can be any village’s biggest weakness. “In many cases, I have had to see beyond. I have had to say this is how I am going to be with you, because I can’t avoid people. Especially in the field of work, you just have to look past certain things and hear past certain things and get it done,” he explained.

Nigel’s hope for the people of Fair’s Rust, Linden and the rest of Guyana is to focus on the country’s development, not political affiliation. He stated, “I hope that we can agree that we deserve a different Guyana, not necessarily a new one. And we all, as Guyanese, should pay keen interest to good governance. And no Guyanese should be focused on a political association but on good governance, regardless of who is in power or out of power.”