When Celestine Butters started working at the Guyana Marketing Cooperation (GMC) at the age of 20 she felt it was just a stepping stone to bigger and better things, but 43 years later she is still in the corporation’s employ and continues to enjoy the work she does.
From clerk, Butters worked her way up to Deputy Manager of GMC and in more recent years she has held the position of the Packaging Facility Manager.
She cannot put her finger on what has kept her at the corporation all her working life, right up to the age of retirement (she is a contract worker), but looking back she does not regret it as according to her she has learnt enough for more than a lifetime and many times she viewed her work as giving back to her county.
“I just don’t know [why she never left], sometimes I ask myself that very question. I think it is my love for meeting people, love for helping people. Every time I made up of my mind to leave, I stayed on. I have had other job offers and I would go and do the interview and still stay back at GMC. I just stayed on and did what I had to do.”
And when she became a single parent and widow at the age of 35 – her husband got sick and died – job security was also at the front of her mind. “I did what I needed to do. I have no regrets,” she said.
“Cool, calm and collective,” was how the mother of one described herself to Stabroek Weekend and from those who know her that is how she was described, someone who never says no and who is always approachable..
‘Love to see success’
As Packaging Facility Manager, Butters said, she enjoys helping exporters get their produce out. “I love to see success at the end of what I am doing,” she said. For her, there is no better success than helping someone else to succeed.
Explaining what goes on at the Packaging Facility, Butters said they are involved in the export of fruits and vegetables and they assist exporters from “beginning to end.” The facility helps exporters find certified farmers who have the produce and works with them right up to assisting them to get the necessary documentation to export. There is also a Plant Health Department, which examines produce for quality and also to ensure that are free of pests and diseases.
“We guide them how to clean how to package, and then to ship,” Butters said.
Her job hours are irregular. There are times when she goes home at 2 am and other times when she works right through the night.
“Being the person I am, I never like to fail, so I decided that I needed to get broad shoulders and get my work done. I have been sitting in the job and getting it done,” she said.
Her job has also entailed travelling and she has been involved in many exhibitions and has even trained others in packaging.
Butters enjoys what she does. She calls the exporters “my exporters”; they all have her cellphone number and would call her anytime of the day and “I never refuse to answer. I always make myself available because whatever I start, I love to see it completed and that is getting fruits and vegetables out of Guyana. If Guyana wants to be considered the Caribbean basket then we have to prove it that we can do it.”
Rolling back the years, Butters said she first came to know of GMC when she was sent there as a work-study student from the Government Technical Institute (GTI) and she was offered a job on completion of her internship. She did not accept it as she wanted to complete her diploma in secretariat sciences. But she must have made a good showing, because as soon as her studies were completed, she received a call and was asked if she was still interested in the job.
And so it was that at the age of 20 she started working in the Registry Department of GMC even though her first assignment was to work with the accountant. “It was about pouring over spreadsheets and it was typewritten so it was hours of going it over,” she said.
She considers herself privileged to have visited the length and breadth of the country as part of her work and she enjoyed this aspect immensely. How did she get into the Packaging Department? She shared that the exporters were giving the manager a hard time and always one for a challenge she volunteered to work there one day a week. She did a good job because she was asked to stay full time.
“I had to come across and I am here up to now,” she said.
Exhibitions are part of what Butters facilitates and she also plays a part in the farmers’ markets that are held from time to time at D’Urban Park. She recalled that the GMC booth had won a best booth prize at an exhibition and she was proud because she played an instrumental part in setting it up.
“I have the knowledge within and people can still come where I am and I will help them along the way,” she said, referring to the fact that she is now at the National Exhibition Compound in Sophia, where the packaging facility is located.
Involved in church
Butters described herself as a staunch Catholic and one who is very involved in church. She noted that whenever there is need for culinary expertise she always called upon as she is good at catering for different taste buds.
“Whenever there is a function, I always take over the cooking,” she said.
While she loves her church, it does not stop Butters from popping into Hard Rock Café because of her love for rock music. “I go out, I love the movies and so…,” she said.
She only has one daughter, but she has nieces and great nieces who are always close to her and the neighbourhood children also cling to her.
The children in her Diamond, East Bank Demerara community often run to her on her way home and if she has a fruit she never hesitates to share it.
Speaking about her neighbourhood, Butters noted that she is also very involved in her community. She explained that whenever they are faced with problems they would meet, and she is looked upon to move the process forward. She gave the example of a serious flooding problem they once had and after a letter was written to then Prime Minister a visit was made and a new koker was built for the community. There was also the issue of garbage collection and the system where the Guyana Power and Light charged residents for the electricity that was being stolen by squatters at the back of the community. They managed to have a meeting with the then President and residents later saw a reduction in their light bills.
‘Love fancy things’
Butters is not ashamed to say, “I love fancy things, lots of fancy things. I am always decorating the home.” She explained that this is why she is good at decorating the booths for exhibitions and now she “sneaks in and helps with whatever has to be done”.
In her youthful days her father had a restaurant and bar and Butters assisted in operating the business during her school holidays. She believes that is where she got some of her marketing skills.
Apart from her diploma from GTI Butters also holds a diploma in export and marketing from the University of the West Indies.
Today, Butters said she feels proud of the many persons who would have learnt from her over the years and who continue to climb various ladders and do not forget her “as they always call or pass by to see me.”
And for those who are looking for a job, Butters advised that no job is easy, and that the road is never smooth. “No matter where you are going to work you will find that you have bumps,” she noted.
For her it is about what the person brings to the job, their capabilities and their qualifications. And they should not expect to get rich quickly.
“The only job that can get you rich quick is drugs and we don’t do that here. You can work here and live a comfortable life. You have to know what you do with your salary and how you can make it work,” she further advised.
