Situated on the West Bank Demerara, the village of Good Intent which is sandwiched between Sisters Village to the south and La Retraite to the north is about seven-and-a-half miles from Vreed-en-Hoop. The population comprises approximately 1000 people of predominantly African descent with a minority of Indians. On entering the village there is a sign which reads: “As you enter into Good Intent may God be with you.”
Recounting his life in the community, 82-year-old Wisland Park told Sunday Stabroek he had been raised there, and had attended the Canadian Mission School located in Patentia, another West Bank village. It was rebuilt at a different location, and today it is found in Wales, Park said, and is called the Wales Community High School. According to him there were once no churches located in the community. “In those days churches ran the school… it had ministers or priests who was the people in charge of maintaining order at my school.”
He said that one of the memories he always cherished was his school days. “Girl, back then I used to go to the crab bush and set my trap …on the lunch break I would run out to see if I catch any crabs… me and my friends would do this whenever it was marching.”
Park remembered the days when he walked to school because there were no vehicles. “Those days I used to oil me foot with coconut oil and walk to school,” he told this newspaper; “you should see how it used to shine… I did it barefoot too… I can remember those days, I ran home from school to collect my lunch just because I had to meet back in time before the bell ring.”
Rice-farming, cattle-rearing, fishing, cane-farming, horticulture and mining in the interior are some of the economic activities residents rely on, although the majority seek employment at the Wales Sugar Estate. There are also many small businesses located throughout the community, most of which are family concerns. They include meat centres, grocery stores, small ice-cream parlours, hair-dressing salons and clothes boutiques. Barbers’ shops and wash bays are also scattered throughout Good Intent.
The area has many fruit trees, such as mangoes, coconuts, cherries, tamarind, pears, etc, along with pineapples. “Mango trees used to cover the entire place… back in the days they used to burn the mango trees until it turned to coals and make the road with it,” said one villager. Some of the residents involved in farming mentioned that their produce is sold at nearby markets such as Bagotville and Wales.
Herman Murphy who has been living in the area for over 50 years has contributed greatly to his home village. Murphy Street, which is one of the streets off the public road, was constructed by him in 1972.
Murphy said, “I worked hard so that the street can come into the area by buying bricks to build up the roads to make it accessible, so that people can come and support my shop.” His shop also carries his name, and he also has a hall which hosts weddings, parties, anniversary gatherings and other events.
Catering to residents’ spiritual needs are the Jesus Saves Church, a Mandir and a Mosque. Where education is concerned the community has one nursery school along with several day-care centres. The Wales Community High School is the nearest secondary school, while some students attend the Patentia Secondary which is located some three villages away.
Geoffrey Phillips the famous calypsonian, also known as ‘The Mighty Rebel,‘ was raised in Good Intent and still lives there today. He described the area as place where people lived in togetherness. However, he said, it is lacking a recreational park and a centre for youths where they can get themselves involved in meaningful activities at the weekends: “The area needs a place where out-of-school youth or school drops-outs can go and learn a trade or a skill.”
Among some of the issues the people complained about were the bad roads and poor drainage, which is a cause of the flooding that occurs whenever the weather is bad.
Crime in the community is low but incidents do happen. One resident who has been living there for a number of years related that “at one time people use to come into meh yard and thief meh fowl… but now things get a little better… it ease up a little.”
On the weekends the youth and even some older folks would gather and host dominoes competitions, cricket competitions, etc. “Good Intent is place where people make themselves happy and comfortable,” one man said.
A regular day of work for most of the people begins at 4 am every day. One of the villagers who has been living in Good Intent for the past 15 years said, “You know how the country life is …we get we work done early so that we can get the rest of the day fu we self.”
