The Electric Eel – by Peter Halder

The Electric Eel

by Peter Halder

 General  

Electric eel

Growing up as a child, I had often heard about the dangerous electric eel from adults in my neighbourhood since there was the La Repentir Cemetery trench, the Sussex Street trench, the Punt Trench and the Lamaha Canal in the Sussex Street backland. I swam in the Cemetery Trench, the Sussex Street trench, the Punt Trench regularly as a kid, at Clay, the Paaloff and near Cooper Street, Albouystown and in the Lamaha Canal. I was nipped by a piranha at Clay but to my delight, I never came across an electric eel. I also swam in the Demerara, Essequibo, Berbice, Pomeroon and Ireng Rivers; Kara Kara, Catabuli, Kamuni, and Mahaicony Creeks. Never came across one.

Museum  

BRITISH GUIANA – Governors In The 1900s

BRITISH GUIANA – Governors In The 1900s

 by Peter Halder

      There were 17 Governors of British Guiana from 1900 to 26 May 1966 when the colony became the independent State of Guyana.

     According to reports, the most popular Governor was Sir Gordon James Lethem, 1941-1947.

     Sir Walter Egerton, 1912 – 1917 and Sir Wilfred Collett were the Governors of Britain’s only colony in South America during World War 1 (1914-1918). Sir Wilfred Edward Jackson, 1937-1941, and Sir James Gordon Lethem, 1941-1947, were the Governors during World War II, 1939-1945.

     Sir Alfred William Savage was Governor, 1953-1955, when the British Government in October 1953, suspended the Constitution of the colony, declared a State of Emergency, deployed British troops and removed the elected Government of the People’s Progressive Party which won a landslide 18 of 24 seats in the Legislative Assembly in the General Elections in April, 1953. Governor Savage, who according to reports played a significant role in what transpired, assumed direct rule.      

The Seventh Day Adventist Healer

Guyana Stories by Peter Halder

by Peter Halder

     The Seventh Day Adventist Church was located along the Christianburg Main Road in the Christianburg/Wismar/Mackenzie District,Upper Demerara River. The Main Road, adjacent to the river, began at the northern end of Christianburg and ended a little past Sproston’s Stelling at Wismar.

The Pastor of the Church was Rev. Mordecai Baramboolah. He was the quintessence of quaintness. His head was as bald and smooth as the outside of a calabash. In fact, the top of his head resembled heaven – there is no parting in either place. He was tall and well-built, probably as a result of the quantity of food he consumed daily. Some in his flock nick-named him Pastor More. His forehead had as many furrows as bicycle tracks on the main road after a heavy rainfall. His eyebrows were thick and bushy and when asked about their unusual growth of hair, the Pastor said that it was neither here nor there.    

Games Kids Used To Play – By Peter Halder

Games Kids Used To Play

by Peter Halder

         The pastime games for kids in Albouystown and maybe elsewhere in Guyana in the 1940s were unique and unusual. They were the legacy of custom and culture. Four such that were popular were Zootal, Mariddle, Cush and Cock-a-Delo.

Zootal

Zootal was a game played with sticks. It was played with 2, 3 or 4 players. The first thing was for each kid to obtain two slender sticks about a half inch in circumference. Sapodilla, mango, genip, guava or other fruit and non-fruit tree limbs of that circumference were sought  One long limb was just what the doctor ordered. Its leaves and stems were plucked off. The limb was then broken to provide two pieces, one about five inches long and the other about two feet. Next, a round hole about five inches in diameter was dug in the open ground of a yard.          

The Buck Top – By Peter Halder

The Buck Top

By Peter Halder

An ancient proverb states: Necessity is the mother of invention

The proverb found expression among poor kids growing up in Albouystown in the 1940s and 1950s. Their parents could not afford to buy toys so many kids decided to invent their own.

One popular Christmas toy during that period was the Spinning Top or Spintop. They came in various sizes. Some spun after the top was pressed down (cranked). For some, a key was used to wind them up. They were in the show windows of large Department Stores and some Drug Stores.

Kids in Albouystown, and other parts of the country exercised  their young wisdom and talent and decided to invent their own “make local” spintop at no cost. It was named “Buck Top.”   

Nostalgia: Upper Demerara River Many Years Ago – updated

Nostalgia: Upper Demerara River Many Years Ago – updated
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by Peter Halder

Economic activities in the Upper Demerara River were mainly timber grants. The first grant, I believe, was at Kumaparo, about 60 miles south of Mallali but below Great Falls. The grant was owned and operated by Willems Timber and Trading Company. Jack Willems was the owner of the Company at that time. His Manager in Georgetown was a Mr McIntyre who flew to the site regularly on an Art Williams seaplane.

Another timber grant pioneer was Harry Lorrimer. His grant was at Kumaro about 18 miles south of Mallali. He travelled by speedboat and used tugs to transport his logs to Georgetown. He was among the first to use trucks to haul timber from the forest to the bank of the river for shipping.   

Nostalgia: Henry Street, Werk-en-Rust – updated

NOSTALGIA: HENRY STREET, WERK-EN-RUST – updated

by Peter Halder

Henry Street in Werk-en-Rust is a short street. It is only one block long. It extends from Princess Street on the south to Durban Street on the north. It is sandwiched between George Street on the east and Smyth Street on the west.

A denizen of Non Pareil Street, Albouystown (vide my Nostalgia: The Street Where I lived: Non Pareil Street, Albouystown), I became familiar with Henry Street in the late 1940s when I met and became a close and lasting friend of Carl Agard. I joined him in Scholarship Class at St. Stephen’s Church of Scotland School at the junction of St.Stephen, Princess and Adelaide Streets, Charlestown. We would go swimming often at clay, the parloff or other parts of the Punt Trench or explore the mangrove area on the bank of Demerara River at Ruimveldt, next to Art Williams Transport offices.  

On the Street Where I Lived – Updated – by Peter Halder

ON THE STREET WHERE I LIVED – UPDATED

by Peter Halder

I was born, grew up and lived for many years on a virtually unknown street in Guyana.

It’s name is Non Pareil Street and it’s in Albouystown. My family consisted of my father and mother, Ershad and Mary Halder , three brothers – Bonnie, Felix and Vernon, all of whom have passed away, and two sisters – Leila and Bernice. My niece, Olivia (Livy) Kissoon later came to live with us. She now lives in Toronto, Canada. Her Mom Leila had migrated to Trinidad, then England and now lives in Cyprus. Bernice now lives in Orlando, Florida.

Albouystown is the long, narrow southern suburb of Georgetown, often called a “slum area” due to its “long ranges” of one room homes, some thickly populated “yards”, latrines for the use of landlord and tenants and to a minor extent, crime.