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Long-time New Amsterdam musical coordinator ‘Polo’ passes away
(Kaieteur News) – The New Amsterdam community is grieving the loss of one of its prominent faces, Lincoln Alwyn Williams, known throughout Region Six as ‘Polo’ and ‘Johnny P’.
Williams passed away on May 21, 2026 at his home in Islington, East Bank Berbice, his wife confirmed to Kaieteur News on Friday. He was 78, and his wife disclosed that the musician was battling prostate cancer for an extended period.
Lincoln ‘Polo’ Williams served in the GDF
Williams was an ever present face at cultural and formal events within the Region with his band, COFONA, which lent to the enrichment of hundreds of events with their live renditions through an array of musical instruments.
Many proficient young musicians also attained recognition and were able to expand their capacity, owing to his tutelage.
Polo was a talented musical coordinator from New Amsterdam
A man of many orientations, Williams served in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), but was also a teacher and an entrepreneur. He was arguably most known for coordinating musically inclined youths throughout Region Six.
His family told Kaieteur News that Williams served in the army for eighteen years, having enlisted in 1970 and retiring as a Sergeant in 1988.
“His service joined discipline with artistry: as a Sapper and later Section Commander with 4 Engineer Battalion he trained in demolition and combat engineering, while in the Band Corps he served as a drummer, arranger, pan player, and Second in Charge of Steel Drums. He was awarded the Military Efficiency Medal for his service.”
On day in 2010, as he sold at the New Amsterdam market, he was asked to aid in forming a marching band, particularly for grown men. He “gently refused” and opted for youths instead, with his belief that “you bend the tree while it is young.”
The group, which began with six boys, would abide under him for fifteen years, and expanded significantly to a full-fledged, established band of undisputed talent across both genders and incorporates fairly young children to young adults.
His family stated that “He will be remembered as a teacher who never stopped teaching, a soldier who served with honour, and a musician who gave a town its heartbeat.”
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