Can any good things come out of Albouystown and Howes Street?

Jul 17, 2024 Letters

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Dear Editor,

There is a lot of negative talk about Albouystown and Howes Street, but did you know that one of the finest gentlemen lived in James Street Georgetown was Doc. Green? They call him Doc. Mr. Green started his fame at James and Bar Streets, Albouystown, with a popular drug store, he introduced the first new penny bank for children in Guyana.

Teaching them the importance of saving. Green designated Fridays as the day for children to deposit a penny into the new penny bank. He recorded their names and the dates in a book. He had a unique way in asking the children what they were saving for – whether it was to buy bats, dolls, guns and sockets, or bicycles for Christmas. At Christmas time, every cent saved was paid out to the children. Mr. Green also reminded them what they had been saving for, some may achieve some may not, but he encourages them to keep saving. Mr. Green had a son, a “Little Black Boy,” who qualified to go to Queen’s College from first form, which qualified him to be a QC babe. In those days, dark skinned boy children couldn’t play in the school yard.

Doc Green then move to House Street, a place where nothing good was said about it, however we had Commissioner of Police, Mr. Carl Austin once lived there, another famous person was Guyana and West Indian fast bowler whose name was Colin Croft who played for both the West Indies and Guyana. Howes Street gained recognition for those men. Doc’s little son became Minister and later Prime Minister, name Hamilton Green. If you speak to Mr. Green for five minutes, you will be surprised to know how in depth and knowledgeable he is in politics, and a great human being, but wait there is another hero from Howes Street who is unspoken about, his name is Gordon Braithwaite another QC boy from a first form level. His fame was football, Gordon started playing football in 1969 and by 1974, he was captain for Queen’s College, after leaving school, he joined Pele Football, which was one of the clubs playing in the Georgetown Sub Association.

By September 1975, he was selected as a midfield player to represent Guyana in the Inter-Guianas under eighteen tournaments; later he made his senior debut for Pele FC in the Father Neils KO final as a starter midfield as his club went on to win Senior Trophy. He made the national team and began coaching his club.

In 1976, he was converted to a central defender and due to his very robust and athletic playing style, soon gained the name‘ The Ultimate Warrior’ as a reference to a popular movie starring baldheaded Yul Brynner since he was almost baldheaded himself. He built his reputation as an outstanding defender representing Pele FC in the CONCACAF Club Championships in 1977 and was outstanding as his team became the first ever Guyanese club to win a game in this prestigious competition. Pele FC defeated Vootwaarts of Suriname in the first game played home in Guyana but was beaten in the return away leg being knocked out on goals average.

However, just after these games, he was called up for the Senior National squad and made his debut against Trinidad & Tobago on September 15 which was exactly 2 years after making his Youth National debut. Being 19 at the time, he went on to win Man-of-the-Series in which he played as a right back in the 3 games. Next, he was switched to the central defence in another 3-game series this time against Barbados and once again adjudged Man-of-the-Series. By the time his 20^th Birthday came in November, he was an established National star. By the end of the year, he had been named Footballer-of-the-Year and was also nominated Runner-up – Sportsman for 1977 losing out to Guyanese and West Indies legendary fast bowler, Colin Croft, who like the ‘Ultimate Warrior’ lived in Howes Street, Charlestown at the time.

Gordon continued improving as a player and was outstanding once again in 1978 as Pele FC was one again to set a record by becoming the first ever Guyanese club to advance to the second round of the, scoring his first CONCACAF Club Championships by defeating a club from Aruba 3-1 in Guyana, a game in which he scored a penalty, then winning the return game in Aruba by 2-0.

This return game has been heralded as his best ever game for the club as the adverse conditions in that country where the pitch was of sand, the breeze was very strong and the home team used the breeze to good effect. However, with his reputation for jumping high and being the ‘king of the air’, Gordon was very effective and has often admitted since that he never ever, before or after, had to head clear so many times in one game. Unfortunately, Pele FC was to falter once again to the same Suriname club in the second round. Later on in 1978, he toured Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados with the Senior National Team and did very well scoring his first goal for the country against Trinidad & Tobago with a volley from a corner kick.

In August 1978, Gordon left for the US on a full scholarship to Clemson University where quite a few Guyanese players had gone years before him. Whilst there, he excelled academically making the Academic Dean’s List with a 3.5 out of 4 grade point ratio as he got distinctions in a 3^rd year Spanish course and a 2^nd year French course as he pursued his studies with Spanish as his major and French his minor due to his intention to be a linguist. On the football front, he was named to the All–Atlantic Coast Conference First Team of 3 selected annually while being the only Freshman to make the first team.

However, due to a cultural change in his life, he became a devoted and spiritual Rasta and left the US then returned home in August 1979. He however resumed his playing and coaching career and was once again called up to play for the country. In 1980, he represented Guyana in the 1982 World Cup Qualifying Preliminaries being made Vice Captain as Guyana defeated Grenada by 5 – 2 at home with him scoring a penalty in the 33^rd minute after Guyana had been down by 2 goals after only 17 minutes of play. This time, he was once again playing as a midfielder. Guyana won the return game in Grenada and advanced to the second round. Once again, Guyana would be knocked out of a major tournament by Suriname.

In 1983, after a 2-year period in which the country did not play any international football, his prowess at club level and with the National team earned him another personal trophy, Footballer-of-the-Year, 1983.

He was named Captain of the Senior National Team in 1984 and continued as such until early 1985 after which he began to concentrate fully on coach and became Founder/Coach of YSM Beacon FC in September 1,1985. The club would play in the Georgetown Second Division at the onset and despite being promoted in the first year was demoted back to the Second after one year.

However, after this Beacon FC became a consistent mid-table club in the Georgetown First Division. After Dominating youth football in Georgetown from 1987, many of the youths were elevated to the higher level and the Seniors squad won its first major trophy, the Demico League, in 1995 and also became the first team not from Linden to win the prestigious Kashif & Shanghai KO for the 1995 edition played on January 1,1996. In the later Tournament, Gordon won one of many Best Coach accolades over his long career.

In 1991, he got his first job as a National Coach taking charge of the Senior squad and took them to fourth place in the Shell Caribbean Cup Finals held in Jamaica. In doing so, he became the first Guyanese Coach in probably decades to knock Suriname out of tournament by winning our leg of the Qualifying competition to advance to the finals in Jamaica.

In 1992, when he coached the Senior National Team in the 1994 World Cup Qualifying Preliminaries, he became probably the first Caribbean player to play – 1980, Captain – 1984 and Coach – 1992 his country in the competition.

In 1996, he took charge of the National Under 16 squad which was outplayed by Suriname and Netherlands Antilles in a 3-team Tournament; however, many of the players went on to excel for the country at higher youth levels and the Senior squad during a period 1998 to 2022.

Notwithstanding all I have said about Gordon Braithwaite, there are a few players who Gordon Braithwaite knew nothing of, and they are no more than 30 years old. They are Brown and Solomon of Osoro Northwest District and Gregory Richardson {Jackie Chan) that the Ultimate Warrior made no contribution to their success but coach Dennis Hunt (Chow) Coach.

Conclusion

I would like to ask Mr. Hamilton Green and Mr. Ralph Ramkarran to write a history of politics in Guyana from 1940 to date. I know this will help a lot of young people who are interested in the facts.

Yours truly,

Frank DeAbreu

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• Albouystown, children, Frank DeAbreu, gentlemen, Howes Street

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