A 78-year-old Guyanese man living in a stable in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) may just get his wish to return to Guyana before Christmas with the help of the Trinidad-based Guyana Agency for Development Affairs (GADA).
Neville Cornett’s plight was recently highlighted by Trinidadian television station CNC3, and has since been shared countless times on Facebook.
In the interview, Cornett, a former licensed horse groomer, said he has been living in Trinidad illegally for the past 20 years, and with no legal documents in his possession apart from his birth certificate, he faces many obstacles in returning to Guyana.
But in addition to that challenge of returning home to Guyana, Cornett also faced the trial of finding suitable living quarters in Trinidad and this forced him to occupy the same stable that houses the horses he once groomed.
Cornett, in his sit down with the television station, explained that he was never paid certain monies owed to him and as such, was unable to secure better living arrangements.
With no relatives in Trinidad, Cornett has had the assistance of Good Samaritans who have tried to contact family in Guyana, to no avail.
Nonetheless, several persons have lobbied on his behalf in the hope of assisting the elderly man to return home.
Since the circulation of the news clip, Stabroek News has been informed that GADA has assisted him in the purchase of a ticket to return to Guyana on Christmas Eve.
However, this newspaper has been unable to confirm whether he will have anywhere to stay when he arrives in the country.
