By Lakhram Bhagirat
She stands just above five feet tall, yet her personality towers over my five foot eight-inch frame. At 81 years old, she is by all means the embodiment of the cliché – small but powerful — and I was taken aback by the wisdom she had to share. I felt an instant connection when I saw Kathoon DeNobrega as I saw her peeking out of the door while I made my way up the stairs.
“Good morning and what will you be asking me today,” she greeted me in a soft but steady voice.
Before I could respond, her little soft hands took mine into hers, flashed me the broadest smile one can think of and led me to her plush couch where we had our formal introduction and begun our conversation. Kathoon tells me that she was born and raised in Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara and now she resides in Wales with her daughter.
At her age, she has very little complications but advised me that she would be speaking softer than usual due of a cyst growing in her nose, which is inoperable due to her constant high blood pressure. Apart from that “small” complication, she has very little medical issues and still enjoys travelling. 
Going back to the early days, Kathoon explains that she is the youngest of four children and remembers her childhood as one that was mixed with hard work and fun. She never knew her father but her mother, Jumratan, worked tirelessly as a “weeder” attached to the Wales Estate.
Khatoon gained her education at the Wales Government School but was forced to drop out when she was in Standard Five.
“It was my mother alone working and I was very bright in school but when I was in Fifth Standard my mother told me that I would have to leave school. The headmaster spoke to her and asked her why she was taking me out of school and she told him that she could not afford to send me to school and buy the textbooks too,” she said.
She dropped out of school and remained at home taking care of the household. She would c
ook for the family while her brothers worked at the Wales Factory. When she turned 22, Kathoon gained employment with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) as a Switchboard Operator.
“I was so excited when I got the job because I was happy to go out and work. I always wanted to work and to have that dream come through was the best. I started working and it was so fulfilling. As a Switchboard Operator I was responsible for making sure that all the calls that came through went to the person it was designated to.”
She explained that she enjoyed every moment working as a Switchboard Operator as they had a “powerful team.” The team consisted of four members who worked round the clock to ensure that every call was answered and directed where it should be. The team worked shifts from 06:00h to 14:00h; 14:00h to 22:00h; and 22:00h to 06:00h.
“I enjoyed working with GuySuCo. I trained in switchboard and we would work in the office two days every week doing envelope cash. We used to monitor and transfer the calls to the managers and so on. We get the calls from all over the country and they would talk to us first.”
Kathoon spent 22 years as a Switchboard Operator and rose through the ranks at GuySuCo. She retired at the age of 60 and remembers that she was never ready to retire. Until now she has that kick in her step and feels that she could conquer the world.
She explains that the idea of earning a little and making the most of it was instilled at an early age since she had very little growing up. She tells me that when she started working at GuySuCo, her salary was $15 per week and gradually increased over the years.
Prior to her retirement, Kathoon said the entire Switchboard System was upgraded and they had to get accustomed to the new system. The new system grew on her and she was so excited to continue working with the new system but because of the limitations, she had to retire.
Moving over to her family life, Kathoon said that unlike many girls, marriage was not something she was dreaming of. Rather she did not get married until she was 35 years old and her marriage had to be arranged.
“I was focused on my career and wasn’t like them other girls and my husband, Hubert DeNobrega, was a mechanic and he lived in South Ruimveldt. I didn’t know him but one of my friends lived next to him and she brought the match. So I had a match wedding when I was 35 years,” she tells me.
When she got married to Hubert, Kathoon moved from Sisters Village to Rahaman’s Park, Houston, Greater Georgetown. Every day she would travel from Houston to Wales to work as a Switchboard Operator. Their marriage bore two children, Angelina and Hubert Jr and in 1992, Hubert Snr passed away.
Kathoon packed up her family and moved back to her home village and focused on ensuring that her children were well taken care of. She tells me that she never thought about remarrying and dove deeper in her career.
As I prepared to end our conversation, Kathoon began talking about how she felt after she learned about the closure of the Wales Estate. Her eyes welled up as she began talking about how she was able to build her entire life from the money she earned working at the Wales Estate.
“That money I earned from working at Wales helped me to buy this house and land. I repaired this house, I painted the house, I put on light and water and everything I did was through the estate,” she told me amid tears.
She said the day she heard of the estate closure, she sat down in her couch and the tears just kept flowing.
“I felt so bad that I started to just cry. I cried for everybody that was working there because they would have achieved so much working there. The guard that still working there tell me that they have old people that does go by the office and sit down and cry for the estate. I understand why they would cry for the estate because we all built so much from there.”
The tears started to flow and I was taken aback by the level of emotions and hurt she still feels. I tried to concole her as I ended my conversation with her. I then asked her to see some photographs from her younger days and was amazed by how quickly her frown turned upside down. She brought over 200 photographs to show me. Some as old as 80 years and in pristine condition.
Her daughter, Angelina, tells me that her mother cherishes those photos and does not allow anyone to touch them. Kathoon excitedly started to go through the photos with me, identifying her late husband, her parents and her children.
These days her life consists of travelling and reminiscing. Her best friend is the comb as she likes her hair neatly combed at all times. I asked her for one piece of advice before I left and she told me “live the life that you want and not the life that is expected of you. Do great things and do them honestly and you will achieve true happiness.”
I left with a smile on my face and a promise to visit her again. (Times Sunday Magazine)
