Getting to know Sheildstown

SHIELDSTOWN, Berbice is home to just a few hundred people and is a village nestled between the regional powerhouses of Blairmont and Rosignol. Although these two industrious communities are nearby, Shieldstown is a quiet, easy-going village. The village has schools and shops, and with a close-knit community of people, Shieldstown is a place where people come to settle down and start a family. Apart from its quiet suburban nature, Shieldstown lies in a unique position: just close enough to urban conveniences but not close enough to lose the countryside feel the village exudes. In recent years, the village has undergone many changes. From improved infrastructure to better economic situations, villagers say that Shieldstown is the only place they would call home for more reasons than one.

The People of the community.
Before Shieldstown was the blossoming hub of neighbourly love it is today, the village was simply a plot of land behind the estate. Most of the community’s people come from a community further in Berbice called Rampoor. Rampoor is several miles off the estate and faced many challenges for years. Through the years, more than 50 percent of the people left Rampoor and ventured to Shieldstown.

From the village’s birth to current times, much has changed. Shieldstown was more than a bright community to many; it was a second chance. Mohamed Twahir Yacoob and his family are among the hundreds who have migrated to the community throughout the years. As he stated, “My family is from a place called Rampoor. I was born in Rampoor, but my family moved, and I grew up here in Shieldstown. I went to Rosignol Primary School.”

Work and Life in Shieldstown
Like so many young men at the time, Mohamed ventured into agriculture. He worked at the Blairmont Sugar Estate for quite some time. Shieldstown is home to many estate workers, and as most would say, estate work is good but also hard work. Although the work required long hours and hard toil, Mohamed considered it a good time for both himself and the community. As he recounted, “When I used to work at the estate, we travelled by locomotive, taking us in and out. And it was very nice. Every week, we had money in our pockets.” After leaving work at the estate, Mohamed ventured into the trucking business. He worked for several years in trucking, driving, and packing house trucks. Already a dangerous and high-risk job, Mohamed’s life changed when he was involved in a major accident a few years ago. The accident changed his way of life, but it did not change his positive outlook on life.

Mohamed spent long hours moving and making deliveries for several years. He described the work as good, and although it had its challenges, it was a nice change of pace from estate work. Mohamed never thought of his job as particularly difficult until the life-changing accident. “I used to work on the truck, the back. But we had an accident with the truck. The driver died, and my shoulder was pinned under the truck.” Since then, Mohamed has been relearning many of life’s little things. He underwent months of therapy to relearn how to take steady steps independently. His strength and resilience, like so many Guyanese, are unbeatable.

Life Today in Sheildstown
Mohamed credits quiet Shieldstown as his home and the community where he became the man he is today. Currently, Mohamed is showcasing his strength in countless ways. Mohamed has undertaken new entrepreneurial endeavours in a passionate effort to not let his challenges beat him. He runs a bike repair shop at his Shieldstown home, where many of the neighbourhood boys come around to learn a thing or two. He is also still involved in agriculture. His personality has remained warm and welcoming.

Mohamed has become somewhat of a community leader, as he is always ready to talk about his village. In recent times, he stated that the village has undergone some massive changes that he is happy about. “I have lived in this community a long time. And I have seen plenty of changes. We have a big housing scheme at the back. I have also seen a lot of drainage and infrastructure works and roads being done. And we have an upgraded school,” Mohamed stated. He spoke about the progress both he and his community have made. In coming such a long way, Mohamed says that neither he nor his village ever gave up.