Gymkhana heading to Berbice

Aug 09, 2010 News

ROSE HALL TOWN, CORENTYNE – The Guyana Police Force is taking its gymkhana back to the Ancient County. According to the Director of Music and Culture of the Guyana Police Force/Head of the Joint Services Cultural Committee, Retired Assistant Commissioner Cecil Bovell, Berbicians are in for thrills, since each time the event is staged, new features are added. Equestrian sports, gymnastic exhibition and other sporting disciplines are now back on the force’s calendar after being absent for some years.

Deputy Superintendent Stephen Mansell and his troupe.

Two years ago, it was re-introduced and so far gymkhanas were held in Georgetown, Berbice, Linden and Essequibo. This year, Lindeners already had their share while on September 26th the event moves to the Port Mourant Community Centre Ground. The possibility is being explored for Hopetown on August 22nd. September 5th is the tentative date for Georgetown.
Sections to be on show include the Felix Austin Police College, Canine, Equine and Music which includes steel, military and string bands. The usual inter-division tug-of-war and gymnastics would be featured.
The gymkhana would be held in collaboration with the Rose Hall Town Anniversary and Development Committee. The show will also feature the launching of the Guyana Police Force’s Scout Movement in Berbice, and sky-diving.
Assistant Commissioner Bovell explained that the Scout Movement is one of the latest initiatives to boost community relations between the members of the public and police. Police Youth Clubs, Station Management Committees, Community Policing Groups are all part of the said package to foster closer ties.
Bovell said that the Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene is the driving force being the resuscitation of the scout movement, which focuses on discipline and moral values among other aspects of the development of young people. Another aim of the scout movement is to engage young minds in extra-curricular activities such as sports and community development.
The Scout Movement in Division ‘B’ was established at Fort Wellington on the West Coast of Berbice on April 4th 2009. This was during Assistant Commissioner George Vyphuis’ tenure as Commander of Division ‘B’. Deputy Superintendent Stephen Mansell, who is in charge of the Number Three Sub-Division, is the Group Leader.
According to a source from the Guyana Police Force, the scout movement in Berbice has grown and has done much to reduce the frequency of crime, especially among young people. The source explained that in many areas persons as young as 12 years old were involved in criminal activities.
The movement in Berbice was formed by selecting members from the Police Youth Clubs at Ithaca – Blairmont/Number Three, Lovely Lass – Golden Grove, Tempe, Weldaad and Foulis/Profit. The members are between the ages of eight and 25 years old, and are Cub, Explorer, Venture and Leader Scouts. The team meets every Saturday from 09:00 hours to noon. Today, the scout membership in Division ‘B’ stands at 70 and continues to thrive under the watchful eyes of Commander of Division ‘B’ of the Guyana Police Force, Assistant Commissioner Steve Merai.
In East Berbice, a group should have been formed before but it did not materialise. The launching of the Berbice Scout Movement at Port Mourant on September 26th would serve as a means of attracting members on the eastern side of the Berbice River.
Assistant Commissioner Bovell said that November 2nd this year marks the first anniversary since the police scout movement was resuscitated. To mark the occasion, all scouts across the country would assemble at a jamboree in Georgetown. To date there are just over 600 scouts, of this 380 are from Linden, 170 in Georgetown and the remainder in West Berbice.
The annual Guyana Police Force Youth Camp which is jointly held by the Police Wives/Women Association is slated for August 14th to 18th. This year the venue is Kuru-Kuru College. Ten scouts each would be selected from Linden, Georgetown and Berbice to be a part of the camp.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Defence Force ‘Fly Boys’ are expected to be back in action in Berbice. In October last year, eight paratroopers staged an airborne display and this was followed by the sky van making several low passes.
However, the exercise had to be tailored since cloud coverage and rain are a dangerous combination for jumping. The paratroopers were expected to free-fall from an altitude of 7,000 feet using their bodies to control the direction and movement before the parachutes were opened. However, this was not to be and they jumped from an altitude of approximately 2,500 feet. The Sky van was flown by Air Marshal Azeez Nuzamadeen and Captain Paul Dalgetty.
The troop included Parachute Maintenance Officer and Chief of Ground Staff, Glenford Alfred and his free-fallers – Major Lloyd Souvenir, Captain Michael Shaoud, Captain Sheldon Howell, Captain Leslie Ramlall, Corporal Enoch Smith, Lieutenant Colonel Enoch Gaskin, Warrant Officer Class Two Vanburn Milo and Corporal Mark Alexander, who together possess over 80 years experience in Special Operations and as paratroopers. Paratrooper Trainer Lance Corporal Makella Armstrong and his assistant, and Corporal Ryan Scott the Medical Orderly, comprised the Ground Crew.
Since 1969, the Special Forces of the Guyana Defence Force had been involved in skydiving. Prior to 2009, the last time paratroopers were on show in Berbice was in 1993 at the Port Mourant Race Course.
Public Relations Officer of the Rose Hall Town Anniversary Committee, Andrew Griffith explained that September – Education Month, was chosen to host these events in a bid to highlight job opportunities for young people. According to him, the events had been on the drawing board for some time and are a follow up to last October when paratroopers staged a performance for Berbicians.
There is an ongoing conflict between members of the Rose Hall Interim Management Committee (IMC) and the Anniversary Committee over the right to host events to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the town.
A few weeks ago Chairman of the IMC, Bhadenauth Somrah announced that the Anniversary Committee was debarred from hosting events for the town day. Mr. Somrah had cited unscrupulous practices on the part of the Anniversary Committee and said this year the change had to be made to preserve the image of the IMC.