Deplorable and unsightly but former ‘Multi’ students aim to restore field to playable state

Jun 27, 2012 Sports

The unsightly jungle-like plot of land aback the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School, Mandela Avenue, has been in that state for so long that hardly anyone would believe that many of this country’s elite athletes have actually honed their skills there. The field is now in such a sordid state that many refer to it as a jungle in the heart of Georgetown which has, unfortunately, blended in as a natural part of the topography.

Somewhere amidst this dense undergrowth lies what was once the Multilateral School playfield. The old students vow to restore it to a playable plot.

However, while the students and teachers of this august institution have grown accustomed to the situation, and while they have given up hope of ever again utilizing the plot of land for recreational and other social purposes, a group of past students, comprising the executive and members of the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School Old Students’ Association (NRMSOSA) are determined to restore the field to a semblance of its former self thus providing the current and future students with an opportunity to enjoy all round growth during the most impressionable stage of their lives—school days.
Shortly after the election of office bearers earlier in the year, the executives of the NRMSOSA began discussions aimed at the restoration of the field and consequently convened at the school’s auditorium where they held discussions with an aim of soliciting assistance from the government and members of the business community towards the realization of their goal. Mr. Arthur Gibbs has served as the Treasurer during the last dispensation and is currently in the forefront. He said that he has dispatched a letter to the Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, requesting the use of that Ministry’s heavy duty machinery and equipment to clear the field. The members are also drafting letters and implementing a project document to approach corporate Guyana for assistance in the realization of their mission.
Apart from restoring the field for use by the students, the group is also toying with the idea of transforming the plot of land into a community oriented, recreational centre where members of adjoining communities can engage in sports and cultural activities. While this projection is in its embryonic stage, the group is adamant that the clearing process must first be realized and it is awaiting word from those corporate entities to which they have written.
Indeed, the field has had its glory days during the late seventies and early eighties when top local athletes exhibited their wares during athletic meets. During the late eighties, the field was transformed to a dumpsite and shortly after such activity was abandoned, ‘squatters’ had taken over, constructing shacks on the plot of land. They were forcefully removed and a team from the Mayor and City Council had cut the field but the grass has since grown and the field is now reverted to dense undergrowth and an unsightly mess.
It is also a double plot, one of the largest playfields in Georgetown, occupying approximately 12.75 acres and measuring 841ft by 612ft. That is why the executive of the NRMSOSA is confident that the facility could be of use to school children and residents of the community. They said that they will soon be approaching the business community to offset the huge costs of the project. (Michael Benjamin)