Miniaturization of sports at the MacKenzie Sports Club and now banishing of Mackenzie Swimming Pool?

Oct 18, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

It has been drawn to my attention that after no pushback by Lindeners of the dismantling of the iconic Mackenzie Sports Club’s (MSC) main club house and concrete pavilion in December 2023, the Government through its Sports Minister Honourable Charles Ramson Jr. and his colleagues, have now taken steps to demolish the main public swimming facility, the Mackenzie Swimming Pool from its current location on Greenheart Street.

One wonders how such a decision was taken and ponders on the reason(s) this Government is bent on destroying the rich legacy of what was the MSC; arguably the only true multi-purpose sports, and by extension cultural facility, ever in the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

This one of a kind MSC facility on Greenheart Street in Mackenzie, was built by then Canadian-owned Demerara Bauxite Company (DEMBA), to enhance sports across Linden, and was handed over to the community to be managed by a Committee of Management elected by its members, dating back to 1956.

Regardless of this, DEMBA throughout its tenure in the mining town of Linden, carried out major maintenance of the facility.

It was derived out of a need which was agreed upon by the company’s management, in consultation with the hundreds of workers who came from all parts of Guyana, namely Berbice, Georgetown and West Demerara; not forgetting those who journeyed from the ‘Small Islands’, to make here their home and live in the sprawling communities known then as Christianburg, Wismar and Mackenzie.

This decision to construct that main concrete facility with pavilions was one that the residents appreciated, and embraced it as their own.

All sports were accommodated at this central location such as athletics, football, cricket, hockey, boxing, weightlifting, powerlifting, cycling, rugby and even motor bike racing; not forgetting lawn tennis, basketball, netball and swimming; all were accommodated, along with indoor sports like table tennis, billiards, chess, bridge, draughts, dominoes being logged as part of this nationally known and popular multipurpose sports facility.

No other sports venue across Guyana compares to what was the Mackenzie Sports Club, in retrospect, perhaps an envied sports institution.

In August 2020, the Minister of Sports Charles Ramson Jr. MP, journeyed to Linden and spoke to the Committee of Management of the Mackenzie Sports Club headed by its President Avery Trim, seeking its blessings to modernize the MSC. The MSC Management Committee after careful thought, agreed in principle to make it an improved multipurpose facility, since there was the need to upgrade the venue.

Government opined that the MSC would be one of three multipurpose facilities, with this in Linden being the one in Demerara, and two others would be identified for Berbice and Essequibo.

However, Lindeners through the Management Committee never agreed for the MSC to be renamed to what is being referred to by top Government as, the Mackenzie Stadium.

After that initial discussion in 2020 we are informed that in October 2022, Minister Ramson informed the MSC, when he visited for an outreach; that Government were the new owners, and that construction will start and the MSC will now have flood lights to ICC and FIFA standards.

Interestingly, when asked what will become of the Mackenzie Sports Club, Minister Ramson assured all that the MSC will remain as a sports facility with its members.

Since that engagement the Minister of Sports has provided no proof of how the MSC became the property of the Government, which was rejected by the MSC officials at that meeting.

He has also toured the venue on many occasions, unknown to the MSC’s Management Committee.

In fact, after that announcement the MSC management new owners, a letter was sent enquiring of this sudden ownership development but there was no response.

The MSC also pointed out that construction should only be done after meaningful consultation is completed.

The Government ignored those pleas to meet and has reneged on a promise of supplying a complete drawing of what the facility would be, and has never put in writing any proposal to the MSC.

On those few occasions everything relating to what’s happening were done verbally, and to date the MSC Management has only met just about three times with Government officials.

The MSC Management Committee, according to usually reliable sources, had written over the years to the Minister of Sports, Director of Sports, the Prime Minister, the Vice President and President, for information on what exactly is going on at the facility, to relate to its members, to no avail.

Now that destruction of the Mackenzie Pool is underway it means the lone centrally located swimming facility is being denied usage by the residents of Mackenzie.

It also appears the MSC basketball hard court will not be part of Government’s future plans at the venue.

Imagine what was a venue which facilitated two large football fields where cricket, football, hockey and track and field sports were allowed to play, seemingly is reserved for cricket, and maybe a few football games meaning domestic football controlled by the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) is among those entities devastated by this.

In other words, the number of sports has been reduced and cultural shows may be a thing of the past.

Is this development?

Who were the advisers to this sad situation?

Lindeners can now only have fond memories of what attracted and caused many to move to Linden to live over the years, like the annual MSC Fair, cultural events and the birth of MASHRAMANI evolved at that facility.

Many international sports were staged there also including football, cricket and track and field, and several top national athletes began their careers at the MSC.

For whatever reason this miniaturization of sports at the MSC has not resonated with the people of Linden.

Need I say that Lindeners are not unappreciative of the Government helping to develop sports at the MSC, but it should not lead to curtailing what has become the MSC.

If a cricket facility was what the Government wanted to construct, then another venue, probably in the spacious expanding Amelia’s Ward community would have suffice, but leave the MSC to be for all sports.

Again, like last year, word is that the facility is set to be completed before the end of the year.

Still as American singer Johnny Nash wrote in a song: “There are more questions than answers.”

Leaders, Linden is watching!

Sincerely,
Vibert Joseph
Resident Linden

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• Letters, Linden, Lindeners, Mackenzie Sports Club, Mackenzie Swimming Pool, Vibert Joseph

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