Williamsburg …a modest “melting pot” community 

Jul 24, 2022 News

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Village Focus

By Malisa Player-Harry

Kaieteur News – Located mere minutes away from the bustling township of Rose Hall, Corentyne, East Berbice, is the inviting community of Williamsburg which caters to just about all of its residents’ needs.

Though it may appear tiny, the community, with its two main access streets running north to south, is populated with residents and several of them were extremely welcoming to me when I visited.

Once you enter Williamsburg from Rose Hall (the eastern end), you are sure to see the branch of the New Building Society (NBS) and just next door to it, there is a private clinic which I was told is owned and operated by one Dr. Sugrim. Opposite the NBS building is an electronic and home appliance store which has on sale some of the best-branded products at affordable prices. The village is also home to yet another electronic establishment, perhaps to help meet the growing and varied needs of residents.

In addition to a supermarket and the Elwena’s Mobile Snackette, the community also has at least two churches, three mandirs and quite a few rum shops too.

The community was also once home to a bridal shop, but according to residents that business closed its doors sometime ago and the building has since been refurbished, perhaps to accommodate another business. Just nearby, some construction workers were rebuilding a bus shed that collapsed a few days.

As I explored the community, I couldn’t help but notice a car wash with several drivers patiently waiting to have their vehicles attended to.

However, one of the more important places in the community is the Williamsburg Health Centre. At the time of my visit, construction work was being carried out on a building in its compound.

As I travelled deeper into the community, I noticed a once popular cinema – all that remains of it is a ruined and crumbling structure.

Among the several thriving businesses in the community is the Peter Lewis Construction establishment, an ice parlour and a Chinese restaurant.

On the day of my visit, the sun was scorching but I observed a few residents were busy doing chores such as washing and keeping their surroundings clean.

Among the residents I got to chat with was 50-year-old Monica Anthony, who is well known as ‘Julie’ or ‘Aunty Julie’. She revealed that she had moved from Enmore on the East Coast of Demerara to Bloomfield, Corentyne, East Berbice, but after she and her husband separated she moved to Williamsburg. This was about two years ago. Since then, the woman said that she has been a single mother taking care of her daughter who recently wrote the NGSA examinations.

At the time of my visit, the woman was simultaneously doing laundry and cooking a dish of curried fish on her fireside made of clay.

As she skilfully maneuver between the two chores, Aunty Julie revealed that her move from Enmore to Berbice has not been much of a change since there is great difference in the way of life.  She however sought to point out that access to places like the market and shopping outlets are much closer when compares to where she lived on the East Coast.

“In town, you got to buy everything there but here now, at least you can plant a little garden, you can pick a dry coconut and mek lil cook-up, you can go to the Rose Hall Market and get something…” she explained.

To maintain herself and her daughter, Aunty Julie, said that she works three days per week at the Ramoo’s Funeral Home, which is also a nearby business place. While she is desirous of being able to do more, the woman said that she is grateful to be earning a monthly income.

But since times are hard especially hard these days, the woman said that “Me put in for single parent money and me na get, me put in at Whim and me put in here (Rose Hall) and me na get nothing and nobody na come around to say nothing…”

In the meantime, the woman said that she has acquired some old tyres which she plans to place in her backyard to plant some vegetables and fruits for personal use and maybe eventually to sell on a small scale to earn an extra dollar.

I also got to engage yet another resident, 64-year-old Lynette Sukhdeo who I met at her home. The woman, who was born in Williamsburg and spent most of her life in the village, said that she had migrated to the United States and stayed for about three years before returning home. Since her return the woman said that she has been living with her daughter and grandchild. Their home is situated along the public road and, according to Sukhdeo, while the buzzing traffic can get a bit loud during the day, she has grown accustomed to it.

Describing the residents of the community as hospitable, the woman made it clear that “It’s nice living here.”

Williamsburg is considered a “melting pot” community since its population is a fusion of people, from different ethnic backgrounds and culture, with the common goal of enhancing their way of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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