Unity, East Bank Essequibo is a little village between Blake and Hubu. This beautiful neighbourhood is a haven to its 100-plus residents. The village is said to have existed since the time of the Dutch, with Hog Island situated opposite and Fort Island just minutes away by speedboat.
When Blake was featured in this series last month, Seenarine Bhukhan also known as Sir Mike had explained that it was called Johanna Cornelia before being named Blake and that Johanna Cornelia’s sister, Johanna Cecelia had owned Unity more than a century ago and the village had previously been named for her. Why it was changed to Unity, no one knows for sure, but they all agreed that it was the perfect name for a village, whose people live in harmony and work toward the betterment of each other.
Unity was originally a farming village where many of the families who planted ground provisions sold their produce at Parika and markets in Georgetown. But as the years wore on, villagers began working at the sawmill owned by Guyanese-Chinese Frank Hughes. With the Frank Hughes sawmill out of operation for decades, the L S Harridat Sawmill now provides employment. Residents who are not farming or employed with the sawmill are occupied with other jobs, most of them are self-employed.