Dear Editor,
Say Wismar, Christianburg, Macken-zie, Mackenburg, Linden or Linden town, many ‘firsts’ are associated with Region Ten, for example, the first bridge across the Demerara River (the Hope Bridge), the Christianburg Water Wheel, Town Day celebrations, Mash celebrations, River Regatta, bauxite production and many others.
Today Linden town is far behind in the field of sports ‒ don’t we Lindeners produce champions any more?
Many years ago when there was Demba, Guybau, Guymine and Linmine, Linden town produced many champions in the field of athletics, for example, (Skinny) Wilson, George Hill, Roxanne Silles, Lourane Jordan, Wayne (Blackbush) Struger, Andrew Forsythe, (Monkey ) Sullivan, Helton Jeffers, Hilton Barker and many others, including Marion Burnette.
In the field of boxing Charles (Shorty) Amos who was trained by Carlton Bovell at the Spartans gym at Canvas City represented Guyana at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico; Terence Alli; Walter Smith; Conrad Wilson; Mortimer Cornell; Lunk (the policeman); and Colin Livingston, all of whom were national amateur champions.
In the field of football, there was Neville (Zipper) Johnson; Bing and Rupert Carter; Desmond Solomon and his younger brother who was junior national captain; Edward (Screw) Richmond; Clive (Milo) Wilson, former national under nineteen coach; Lloyd (Darey) Medas; Nigel (Mice) Cummings; Ivan Persaud; the Hudson brothers; Colly Hercules; Russell Persaud; and Jimmy McLean, one time coach for a Trinidadian team.
In the field of cricket there was Dr Vincent Adams; Vibert Benjamin; Orin (Pacer) Gordon; Eon Duncan, and many others.
In the field of basketball, the Brush brothers, Royston Telford, Julius Bennett and many others could be found.
In the field of cycling, there was Joylyn Joseph; Ignatius Titus; Fishie Williams; the Waterton brothers; the Rose brothers; Winslow (Pinkie) Richmond, and many others.
In swimming, there was Mary Chung and others including Herbert McIntyre.
In billiards, there was Hardcort Ward, Barron and Mosley, and in hockey, Linden town boasted the female hockey champion. In table tennis, Ray (Copter) Anderson, Marlon (Brando) Washington, Howard James, Brushie and Zipper Johnson shone, while in motor racing it was Peter and Tommy Maycock, Stanhope Dow and others.
Today Linden town has many more playing fields than long ago, but young people seem to have less interest in sports and games and some of the older folks are blaming the management of the Mackenzie Sports Club for not allowing any and everyone to use the facilities when they want. Let us remember, the MSC is an ailing institution which needs finance to maintain itself. It is important to become a member, also it is the only international ground in Linden town and it was redone quite recently and must be properly taken care of. Lindeners should know that the MSC and the Supervisors Club are not subsided by employees of the bauxite company any more and because of that both clubs are in decline. Other clubs within Linden town need to encourage their members to make good use of what is available until better can be done. I am a founder member of the Botofago Sports Club. We played football daily on a sand field and we had the best under sixteen and under nineteen teams nationally; in addition we produced Mr Nigel (Mice) Cummings and Mr Ivan Persaud, both national players.
The athletic season is on presently. We are viewing some future champions, but after this season what’s next?
I’m suggesting to interested people, leaders, sportsmen and women of Region Ten, that we have a reunion of past athletes and a gathering of the present and let us discuss among ourselves the best way forward for sports and games, instead of slandering, fighting and ‘cussing out’ each other which is getting us nowhere. Let us get back to our glory days in sports and games. Let us start with our school and our young children at home.
No club could survive without PMTD ‒ People, Money, Time and Discipline.
Yours faithfully,
B Winslow Parris
