Anna Regina: a bustling location with peaceful, humble inhabitants

Oct 06, 2019 News

By Alex Wayne

I was not expecting my visit to Anna Regina to be so traumatic, especially since it did not start off on the negative. I had decided to visit the village at the indication of residents who had said that there were issues in the village to be made public. After receiving many earnest pleadings, I ventured to the location, one hot sunny afternoon when the sun was at its highest in the skies.

residents examined a drained that has been blocked by garbage by the ‘village bully’

Anna Regina is the capital of the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region of Guyana. It stands on the Atlantic coast, northwest of the mouth of the Essequibo River, 19 km north of Adventure. This location was established as a town in 1970, and had a population count of 12,448 in 2002.
Today residents say that the population has increased significantly with the large influx of foreigners, and locals from outlying communities that have migrated there.
Anna Regina has a market, a community centre and a secondary school. In June 2009 Republic Bank (Guyana) established a branch in the town, making the lives of villagers easier since they did not have to travel to distant locations to conduct business of a commercial nature.
Anna Regina is most popular for its numerous historical sites, including the Damon Monument, Damon’s Cross, the Aurora Chimney and estate House, Anna Regina Bridge, Anna Regina Chimney, St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church and several Dutch tombs.

taxi drivers ply their trade at the Anna Regina taxi tarmac.

History of the Village
Historical reports from www.google.com, suggest that this community was originally a Dutch plantation that was bought over by the British planters soon after Britain took over Essequibo in the early 1800s. It is further recorded that the plantation was owned by an Englishman who had two beautiful daughters, called Anna and Regina.
It is stated that the girls were fond of swimming and would venture down to a canal close by in the mornings. The girls were said to be aged at thirteen and eight years respectively. History would dictate that one morning the girls left to go swimming, and were indeed having a good time, when one of them (not named) starting having difficulties in staying afloat and began sinking beneath the water. It is said that one girl attempted to save the sister in distress, but not experienced in the art of saving a drowning person, both girls eventually drowned in the canal.
The location was reportedly thereafter renamed in honour of the two girls who perished in the estate canal. This incident is said to have occurred between 1810 and 1815, in the same location where the Anna Regina Primary School is now located.

welcome to the picturesque township of Anna Regina

As many years went by the plantation soon transformed into a town in 1990, under the ruler ship of past president, Desmond Hoyte.
It is recorded that some eighteen villages were merged together, forming the township, which is said to be inhabited by over 22,000 residents. As history would dictate the British took over Essequibo with 34 sugar mills, none of which is around today. In many cases rice factories have been built in the location that once housed the sugar mills.
Anna Regina is also the gateway to three Amerindian settlements, namely St Deny’s, Lake Mainstay/Whyaka, and Capoey. While this township in years gone by sported a rustic yesteryear aura, it’s more impressive today with the arrival of schools, supermarkets, commercial banks and much more.
The journey
I arrived at the Supenaam Boat Stelling and was swarmed by hire car drivers, jostling each other in their bid to solicit passengers. I politely told them I had the right to choose which car I wanted to travel in, and eventually chose a black car, driven by a rather polite driver, Mohan Singh.

the picturesque and very arresting Anna Regina High Bridge.

As we wound our way between twists and turns in the countryside roadway, I marvelled at the picturesque fusion of abundant fruit trees (laden with fruits of their kind), lush green rice fields, and quaint little cottages.
What I noticed as well is that several villages on the Essequibo Coast had the very same names like many on the East Coast of Demerara, West Demerara , and Berbice. For example, while there is a Golden Fleece in Essequibo, there is one also in Berbice. The Airy Hall in Essequibo, mirrors the one in East Coast Demerara. And there is also an Onderneeming there, just like we have one in the West Demerara District.
Town horrors
I was very shocked to find that despite the seemingly peaceful quiet of the township, a section was gripped in the horrors of the terror unleashed on residents by a male (name provided) who was terrorizing citizens, even under the nose of ranks at the Anna Regina Police Station.
Businessman, Mohammed Sheriff sputtered with anger as he related a woeful tale of how the man tormented himself and family.

a section of the very attractive township of Anna Regina

“For several months now residents of Anna Regina Village, have been terrorized by an arrogant and vicious villager who have been breaking down fences and destroying their properties, and claiming properties he has no title rights to. His name is (given), and he also beats up villagers and the police ain’t doing nothing.

“They can’t do anything because this man is controlling all the police at the station there. He smokes weed in the police station compound and the station sergeant does nothing about it.
“Well dem can’t do him anything because they come to his house to drink beers and just recently a whole set of them come to his house, and borrow his refrigerator to put drinks at a bar-b-que they had in the village.

“Imagine this man live till over the other side of the road and making claims on my property. I have my transport and all my documents for my property and this man has no rights to my property. He broke down my forty-feet concrete fence, damaged pipelines that lead to the sewerage and completely destroyed the tray of my Canter truck.
“He also tore down my CCTV cameras and took them away to his home. Just last week this man came over to my yard as I was speaking to an NDC councilor, and kicked me in the stomach, as we were examining a drain around my home in which he has thrown garbage to block it up.
“There is about fourteen reports at the police station about this man, and till now the police can’t arrest him. Presently he is before the courts for only one matter in which he is trying to covet the property of another resident.
“Imagine this man place a signboard with his name on a coconut tree in my yard and put up a big Guyana flag flying in my yard as if he owns my property.”
Selena Sami, another resident, vented her frustration over the alleged irresponsible manner in which the police were dealing with their situation.
“The police in Anna Regina is a total waste of time. They can’t do this man anything because they are colluding with him. He and the sergeant at the police station are very close, so they dragging their feet on any matter in which he is involved.
“We are living in fear here because he controlling the police, the people at the NDC, and he is making a mess of the young men in the village. He giving the young boys dope to smoke, and he has them selling it as well. He has a group of young men that he is training to become thieves and have them breaking into people’s homes in the night.
“We are living in fear all because of this man and yet the police aren’t doing anything. Imagine this man took garbage and blocked the main access road to our location in this community, forcing us to use other routes for almost a month.
“Some people had to park their vehicles far from their homes because of him and the group of hooligans he have around him. He beat up lots of people in the village. Who the hell is he? He is not God, so I don’t see why the police can’t lock him up. The police just as lawless and corrupt just like he…All ah dem gon burn in hell fire…”
Charran Sookdeo seemed very frustrated as he related his version of what was happening in the community.
“This man is terrorizing everybody, and people are living in fear for their safety. He big and powerful because his father was a big bhai and was a prosecutor as well. Besides, he is close with a woman here who has ties with the big ones all over, so she is encouraging him to do what he is doing.
“He done rape people here and he training up the youths here sharply to do the same. Our young girls are not safe anymore, because he stopping taxis on the road and harassing the schools girls and telling the drivers to drop the girls all over the place.
“Dis man damn powerful, and it’s a shame on the Anna Regina police… It’s been months now and the man is still roaming free.
“The other day he sent some boys to threaten a woman who does sell alone in her variety shop, then later he come himself and tell de woman how he gon rape she and put her husband to watch.
I don’t know what the police doing… It look like villagers will soon have to arm ourselves and defend our homes and families, cause like the Anan Regina Police Station is a blasted circus.
“The new female commander we have here trying, but she just get the position here, she still a bit new, but is the station sergeant who making things bad for us, by failing to do his duty. The police is supposed to protect us, and ensure we are safe, but it look like they are protecting a very dangerous criminal.”
Many other residents came forward with harrowing stories of how the ‘village bully’ was making their lives a living hell, all indicating that their community was taken over by a menace to society.
Putting aside the reports of what residents were enduring at the hands of the ‘village bully’, there seemed to be peace in some sections in the sizeable township.
Arresting Camaraderie
At one area in the township, I was certainly caught up in the merriment that seemed to flow among residents. I was certainly swept away in the vortex of merriment and laughter that was emitting from almost every corner of the township
Stopping at a vegetable stall I was instantly greeted by smiling children with cheery dimples all heckling with childish curiosity as I pelted questions at their equally excited mothers, who were busy selecting vegetables
Burly men and chiseled looking young men looked on curiously from the taxi park, guessing the reason for my presence in hushed tones. Some of them eyed me suspiciously.
I was just overwhelmed by the bustle and festive aura that seemed to surround this location, so there I was looking around in awe as my eyes took in with wonder the sprawling expanses of posh houses, shops, commercial structures, and what seemed to be a melee of happy people rushing around on one errand or another.
It’s always a giggle or encouraging word from a vendor, or touching pleasantries from taxi drivers and practically everyone you happen to run into.
Join us next week when our reporter set his sights on the quaint little village of Bachelors Adventure.