Courtland Village, Corentyne, East Berbice

Jun 19, 2022 News

…a humble and simple existence begging for support

“We would like to see persons in authority come and meet with the people here because we are human beings like everyone else trying to have a better life, we feel neglected.” – Terry Bagot

By Malisa Playter-Harry

Kaieteur News – Situated between the villages of Fyrish and Number One Village, Corentyne, East Berbice, Courtland Village, though small, is one of the many communities in Region Six that were developed through farming.

Resident, Terryl Bagot

Junior Glasgow hard at work, weeding

Resident, Pamela Crandon

A dam that is surrounded by overgrown vegetation

The only sawmill in close proximity to Courtland Village

The Benjamin Sports facility

Entering Courtland Village

Villagers, who have been living in the community for most of their lives and have built their family line there, have embraced a simple and contented existence.
However, if one enters the village, it is not quite easy to tell that you have arrived since there is no sign indicating this. Nevertheless, it is identified on the map and falls under the purview of the Fyrish/Gibraltar Neighbourhood Democratic Council. There are about four streets with a mixture of modern and aged houses. There is also the Benjamin Sports Facility which houses the popular Benjamin Fitness Gym that was once headed by Wilbert Benjamin, now deceased. The facility operates from Monday through Friday and on Sundays with health enthusiasts from various parts of the region utilising the service, The wife of the late Wilbert Benjamin is currently the proprietor of the business. Bicycles and sporting equipment are also sold at the spacious and equipped facility.
Along with the fitness facility, there is also a sawmill, which has been there for several years, that provides residents with lumber at a reasonable cost. The proprietor was not at home when Kaieteur News visited but it said to be one of the two businesses within the area.
Just opposite the gym, some ladies and a gentleman were seen enjoying an afternoon ‘gaff’ while they glanced at the passing vehicles. I caught up with these lovely people and they shared a little about their community.
Fifty-three-year-old Pamela Crandon said she has been living there since she was a baby. She said that she grew up with her siblings and got involved with farming since her father was a farmer for most of his life.According to Crandon, many of the people in the community are engaged in the rearing of pigs, sheep, cattle and even gardening. Growing up, she said she and her female siblings were taught to be hard workers in order to survive. That, she said, was one of the most critical life lessons she was taught to help her along the way.
“I like work hard, I like plant,” she said with a broad smile on her face. Her sister, who stood nearby, chimed in and also said that “we grow up and see our father planting, we plant nuff sweet potato, cassava…in the backdam, we does plant, so that run through the genes…” The sisters who live next door to each other said that it is a joy living in proximity so that they can see their families expand and flourish in many ways.
Insisting that “good living deh hay,” Crandon explained to me, “you can take a hook, set it in that trench, you catch fish, you can pick up a coconut somewhere and cook a pot but you can’t go town and do that; you got to go in your pocket.”
The pure simplicity of their existence, she said, helps to make their lives enjoyable and humble. But this does not prevent them from wanting more for their community and its people.
The sisters described the people of the community as peaceful people and for the many years they have lived there, crime, they said, is non-existent. Their only issue, they said, is the need for better drainage.

A small bridge which is usually covered with water when it rains

Lack of NDC support
The sisters revealed that since they have been living there, the main drainage system in the community has never been cleaned and that persons at the NDC seem to have forgotten that there are people living there.
“Nobody ain’t coming around here and finding out nothing,” Crandon stressed while mentioning that when rain pours, there is always a flood. During a major flooding in 2021, Crandon said and other persons in the community lost a lot of their stock and garden produce and while a Ministry of Agriculture representative who lives in the village visited them to register their names for flood relief, they are yet to receive this.
“Nobody not cleaning here…we clean here the other day; my son does go in the trench and clean, and the NDC not doing anything. The NDC people like they does choose place where they going and clean, they never clean here. We feel neglected here and they are paying attention to other areas…” Crandon lamented.
As we made our way along the public road of Courtland Village, thick vegetations that have taken over the main drainage system and several empty lots became visible.
This, the residents say, becomes an even bigger problem during the rainy season. They mentioned too that it harbours dangerous reptiles that sometimes crawl out at nights into their yards and on the public road. “A big alligator get run over the other night on the road,” said Crandon.
Further down the road, about four houses away, Crandon was happy to show me where one of her friends’ lives – a massive two-storey concrete building. Another resident, Amanda La Rose, said she was doing some chores but made sure to mention that Courtland “is a good community with good people with little or no crime.” She too complained about the drainage system in hopes that the relevant authorities will look into their plight.
Terry Bagot, a 47-year-old resident said that she has been living in Courtland for 28 years and has enjoyed it thoroughly. The mother of six, who also engages in livestock rearing, said that she lost her husband about six years ago and since then she had to find a way to keep her home financially stable. Despite the struggles, Bagot said that she has managed to get by one step at a time.
Bagot said that most of the people from the community “mine (rear life) stock and are cane cutters” and that it has been that way for most of her life. She noted that there has not been much development in the community besides the construction of a few new houses. While there was talk some time ago about the construction of a recreational facility (ball field), Bagot said that this has never materialised.
Also lamenting the need for attention from the NDC, she said, “We would like to see persons in authority come and meet with the people here because we are human beings like everyone else trying to have a better life, we feel neglected.” She said that although there may be issues that can be addressed, the people remain resilient and have stuck to their values of being helpful, friendly and peaceful to each other.
As we made our way through one of the four dams in the village, Junior Glasgow, a cane harvester, was seen weeding the tall grass from the corners of the dam. In frustration he said, “nobody comes to clean it from the NDC so we the people here got to do it ourselves.” Although exhausted from the blistering heat of the day, Glasgow took a few moments to engage with us. He said he has been living in Courtland for nearly 20 years with his family in his modest home.
While he wanted to say only good things about his community, he could not help but complain saying “Courtland village na get no proper management at all.” Glasgow said that during the heavy flooding situation last year, trenches and drains were dug in several communities but “they skip Courtland.” He said, “look at Courtland roadside condition, you can see with your eyes too, nobody cares nothing about us here.”
He stressed that for his community to improve, there must be better leaders at the level of the NDC. He too mentioned that his community would be grateful for better lighting and some work to be done on the dams.
Glasgow, however, did not fail to mention that he has been living a comfortable life with his family, noting that although he is employed at the Albion Estate as a cane harvester, when he comes home, he tends to his several heads of cattle and his kitchen garden which supplies them with various vegetables and fruits to cook and eat on a daily basis.
With today being Father’s Day, Glasgow said nothing special is being done but insisted that he is contended that he is alive and able to work to maintain his family.
According to the residents of Courtland Village, they are all hoping for the same things – to live a better life with enhancements to the basic infrastructural and community enhancement needs.