By Francis Quamina Farrier

THE demolition of the St. Rose’s High School on Church Street, South Cummingsburg in Georgetown, began last Monday after it was decided by the Board of Governors, that the structure had reached a state of disrepair. So, the current demolition was inevitable due to its terminal condition. But that does not ease the pain of many present and former students of the St. Rose’s High School, as well as for many who have never been students of that institution of higher learning.

The fact, however, is that there are some in our society who shed no tears for wooden structures which are being pulled down all around us; and there are quite a few along Church Street in Georgetown which have gone the way of the demolition block. The Astor Cinema, a cottage at the corner of Church and Thomas Streets just east of St. Rose’s, another cottage mid-way between Thomas and East Streets, which was once the Evening News TV studio and is now Steve’s Jewellery.

Further east, along Church Street there have been some wooden structures between Cummings and Light Streets which have also been pulled down. One of the oldest wooden buildings on Church Street which was demolished some years ago was the Queenstown Mosque; the first Mosque which was constructed in Georgetown. A new concrete structure has been a work-in-progress for a few years now.

It must be mentioned that the former Chronicle building which was located at the corner of Main and Church Streets in Georgetown, was lost to a fire many years ago. The location which is just north of Guyana Stores remains empty at this time.  But back to the St. Rose’s High School. It was constructed almost a century ago and named in honour of St. Rose of Lima (Peru, South America), the first person in the Americas to be elevated to sainthood by the Catholic Church. In the early years, many Catholic nuns, expatriates and locals, taught at St. Rose’s. Guyanese Sister Hazel Campayne was one who served as Headmistress of the school.

In its heyday, the large auditorium and stage of the St. Rose’s High School wwas used for concerts and plays, as well as other events such as seminars and recitals. Many of the Guyfesta sessions of the 1970s and 1980s were held there. School plays as well as other productions were staged in that vast auditorium. I was involved with some of them acting in plays as well as poetry and storytelling performances. My most recent performance at the St. Rose’s High School was a free Poetry and Storytelling session in June 2016, as part of the Jubilee Year celebrations. That was the last time I was in that auditorium.

With the run-up to the commencement of the demolition of this iconic school building, I garnered the following comments from past students…

Here now are some comments extracted from my Facebook page; Gege: “This is sad to hear”. Deborah: “The wooden white buildings reflected heat and light and there was a natural cooling effect.” Yeon: “The new structure (preferably concrete) is required to ensure safety.” Albert: “The monstrosities should never happen.” Carris: “Should do some Heritage Preservation Guyana”.  Lillian: “Sad”. Ashford: “It is very sad”. Mohabeer: “The character of the city, in many ways, is changing”. Denzil: “I wish we could have kept part of our history so much of that we are losing it’s so sad.”

Dmitri: “Great history and a tragedy not to preserve it.” George: “It is much easier to destroy and replace than it is to preserve it.” Albert: “Change must come. Let’s hope function is following form in the new building.” L-Jay: “That’s the outcome when a nation has not been taught to value nor build upon its heritage.” Walter: “Just look at our beloved Town Hall, think they care?” John: “That’s sad that a school is being demolished.” Colin: “Maybe they could use the good wood from there on City Hall.”

Meanwhile, the demolition process of the St. Rose’s High School will continue for another three weeks. The new school will be constructed in concrete by Guyanese Courtney Benn Contracting Ltd. That is scheduled to last for a two-year period. In a release by the Board of Governors, it was stated that “The agreed final design would take into full account the aesthetics in keeping with the expectations of the stakeholders”. No doubt, St. Rose of Lima, will be looking on with quiet dignity and praying for all-round success of this project.