HISTORY – Page 6 – Guyana Times International

Abdhur Rahman Slade Hopkinson – The forgotten poet

January 25, 2013 TIMES INT'L

Abdhur Rahman Slade Hopkinson was a Guyanese poet and actor who was born in New Amsterdam, Berbice, British Guiana in 1934. His mother was a nurse and his father a lawyer. He lived a middle-class life in New Amsterdam until his father died and his mother later moved the family, comprising Slade and his sister, to Barbados. In Barbados, Slade attended Harrison College, at the time an all-boys school, considered among the most prestigious in the West Indies. In 1952 he received a scholarship to attend the University College of…

George Fung-On

January 18, 2013 TIMES INT'L

A Chinese heritage nurtures a son of the soil George Clarence Fung-On, former minister of the Public Service and chairman of the Public Service Commission, was born Oct. 24, 1921 in Kitty, Georgetown to Walter and Hannah Fung-On. His father, who arrived in the West Indies at 10-years-old from Canton China, had in his 20s, left his immigrant father and siblings in Surinam to start his own business in British Guiana. His father’s cousin, Fung-A-Fat, had already chosen to migrate to British Guiana after he arrived in the West Indies.…

Sir David Rose

January 4, 2013January 18, 2013 TIMES INT'L

Sir David Rose was a governor general of Guyana, appointed in 1966 and governor up to the time of his death in 1969. The son of a Georgetown doctor, he was born April 10, 1923 and grew up in Mahaica, ECD; he was educated at the Jesuit school of Mount St. Mary, Derbyshire in England. After war service with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, he joined the Colonial Police in 1948. His first police post was as assistant police superintendent in British Guiana. In 1960 he was appointed Federal…

Remembering notable Guyanese who passed on in 2012

January 4, 2013January 21, 2013 TIMES INT'L

Although it has been another successful year for our beautiful nation, it is sad to have lost a few outstanding Guyanese who have served greatly in the arts and public service forums. Let’s take a moment to reflect on their life’s work, dedication and contributions to society. In January, Cyril Shaw, who became a household name in the local and regional arts industry, died just short of his 90th birthday. Shaw has left an indelible contribution to Guyanese cultural life and more importantly, the development of calypso as a performing…

The Promenade Gardens in Guyana

December 20, 2012January 21, 2013 TIMES INT'L

The Promenade Gardens is located on a portion of what was once a field known as Parade Ground, where slaves convicted of being involved in the 1823 East Coast Rebellion were hanged. Originally, the entire area was used for military parades and training. The grisly history of the area had long moved some members of the public to suggest it be made into a public garden, perhaps as a way of honouring those victims of an inhuman system. In 1851, after funding was obtained, steps began to transform the site…

Remembering the Life and Work of Olga Bone

December 7, 2012January 18, 2013 TIMES INT'L

Olga Irene Bone, nee Lowe, was born Sept 16, 1920 and grew up in the pleasant, breezy little village of Palmyra in East Berbice, about 5km from New Amsterdam. She attributed her imperturbable disposition to the happy home in which she grew up. Her formal education commenced when she was eight years old, at the All Saints’ Anglican School, in New Amsterdam but, owing to the informal learning at home, she was not at a disadvantage. At the age of 12, she was sent to the Cumberland Methodist School, under…

Cenotaph

November 23, 2012January 21, 2013 TIMES INT'L

In the month of November, we commemorate Remembrance Day also known as Armistice Day. This is a day set aside to pay homage to, and remember the contribution of, the soldiers who fought and died in combat in France, Egypt, Belgium, East Africa and elsewhere during World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1345). Annually on November 11, a wreath-laying ceremony is conducted to honour these soldiers who so gallantly served their country. The Cenotaph, located at the southern end of Main Street where a majestic fountain once stood,…

A focus on Charity

November 9, 2012January 21, 2013 TIMES INT'L

Charity, Pomeroon River, is said to have existed about 3000 years ago. It has a population of 5000 and exhibits a well laid out housing scheme which is ever developing. This small township is the main intransit point leading to Region One, Venezuela and Trinidad and holds a rich cultural heritage. Charity has all the basic amenities inclusive of banking and customs facility as well as road and river transport system. It is an exciting hub for tourists. Originally, Charity was occupied by the Dutch settlers in 1640. In the…

Chateau Margot Chimney

November 9, 2012January 21, 2013 TIMES INT'L

The Chateau Margot Chimney is dated July 1, 1889, and is located at the front of Chateau Margot on the East Coast of Demerara. It is the solitary remains of a former sugar factory which, according to a description from the weekly Argosy of 1883, “boasted the finest cane land in the colony of British Guiana during the nineteenth century, operating successfully on the vacuum pan process for many years.” The chimney was constructed by Antonio Gordon, a bricklayer from Buxton. It stands on a huge concrete base of red…

Establishing Radio in Guyana

November 2, 2012January 21, 2013 TIMES INT'L

Radio broadcasting is said to have been introduced in what was then British Guiana, by the dissemination of mainly international news and information through a wired service that relayed BBC radio content over the Georgetown telephone system for paying subscribers. Radio broadcast in Guyana is reported to have had its founding in the late 1920s when experimental shortwave broadcasts received from Daventry, England were initiated, not long after the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was itself established in 1922. After broadcasting for a few hours each week, the shortwave service ended…