“PEACEFUL”, “quiet”, and “tranquil” are some of the words used to describe the village of Clonbrooke. Located on the East Coast of the Demerara River, Clonbrooke is closely connected to neighbouring villages Ann’s Grove and Two Friends. The trio of communities share more than a land connection. They share similar historical past, people and challenges.

Roderick Anthony is a 48-year-old painter, and December of this year will mark seven years of him living in the village of Clonbrooke. Roderick hails from the village of Beehive, just a few miles further up the coast. Clonbrooke was a natural decision for him.

He stated that life in Clonbrooke is comfortable because it was not much different from how he grew up: quiet, peaceful and with neighbours like family. “Clonbrooke feels comfortable to me. I originally come from Beehive, more up the coast. I was born and grew up in Beehive. The people I grew up with in Beehive were friendly, no fighting. It was a quiet place,”

Life in Clonbrooke and the surrounding villages is a unique experience, as some residents explain. The community has an interesting blend of a rustic country atmosphere that has been maintained even though the village rests just a few miles away from the capital city. “Our community is more country, because of our standard of living. I do not consider here like town. Our country lifestyle is different from a town lifestyle,” he said.

One of the striking things about Clonbrooke is its soothing silence, which differs greatly from the hustle and bustle of the East Coast roads. Even the people seem to have a unique sense of peace as they quietly go about their daily activities.

“Around here, the people are friendly,” Roderick stated. The Pepperpot Magazine asked if the community always maintains this sense of tranquillity, to which Roderick responded by saying yes, the neighbourhood is generally a quaint place with lovely people. And that is one of the main reasons he is happy to call Clonbrooke home.

He shared that, “There is no fighting. The only thing is probably some music on the weekends. But other than that, it is very quiet and I like that.” The community is, however, facing an issue. As of 2012, the village was home to more than a thousand people, and its population is growing. But the cooperative society that the village was founded on seems to need members.

Clonbrooke is among the very few Guyanese villages to still be run by a co-op society. The co-op is said to have been created at the same time as the village’s founding. The village’s name comes from the Dutch who settled in the area sometime during the eighteenth century.

According to sources in the community, the village was once a stop on the railway before it was given to indentured labourers in the 1900s. It is said to have become a Scheme for East Indians in 1908, and in 1937, it was merged with Ann’s Grove along with Two Friends Village, but separated again in 1939. The remainder of the village is occupied by the ‘Doch Cab’ Cooperative Society and it is still a Doch Cab society today.

Roderick and many of his fellow residents are happy with the co-op. But they also firmly believe that, with government intervention, the community could have more done. “This is not a government run place, this is being run by a coop. I think that is why we can not have roads. For us to get roads, everybody has to give money. When we want things, whether it is posts or lights, whatever we need; we have to give money,” Roderick stated.

The co-op, which has a committee of about six or seven people, holds various fundraisers in an effort to get things done in the community, and thus far they have successfully completed several tasks.

As Roderick explained, “They would normally keep a bar-b-que if they want to do something to get funds. Sometimes they do clean or something else around the village. The last thing they did was dig the roads and fill it up with dirt.” He went on further, saying that, “The co-op is doing well so far, but the only thing is the roads. The problem we have is that we do not have enough people in the co-op.”

Roderick explained that many of the people who own homes in Clonbrooke live elsewhere. “I would want to see more people get into the coop. I want to see them do things, especially the roads. I rather it come under government management. Because if it was under government management, we could join as a team and go and get help,” he said.