That answer doesn't cut it, Cain. Try again.
I remember in that era my great-grandfather stuck to his barber's shaving knife contraption.
That says a lot about the old man. He had a steady hand.
Old man was born in 1903 in the reign of King Edward VII and his pimp hand was still steady well into the 1980s. He died in the 1990s.
I was really lucky to have known someone that old in my family. He was pals with Cheddi daddy. They were like fellow drivers on Port Mourant Estate.
Shaitaan, it looks like we are related in friendship.
My grandfather was the PM animal stable boss, later Bangaree took over and my GF was also a good friend with Cheddi's dad.
I became close to the family, Derek, Oudit, Doreen, Ivan, etc. and their extended family overseas.
Were you at meetings at Cheddi's PM bottom house in the 60s ?
Anyone remember the old guys sharpening their razor blade on concrete ?
I was referring to my late great-grandfather (maternal) Imam Kadir Baksh of Jama Masjid, Port Mourant. He was a driver/overseer at Port Mourant Estate when he was young. This should be around the 30s or 40s. Then he became a fairly prosperous rice farmer and merchant in the 50s and 60s. Then the dictatorship made us into successful criminals.
I don't personally recall any of this as I was born in the 80s. Did you know my great-grandfather?
I am talking about the 40s when my GF and Imam Kadir was at the Bangaree house at Free Yard PM, near ni**er yard.
They all hang out with Tallim Baksh who had a store where Spready's now exist at PM.
My mother and Bangaree wife were sisters. In my younger years I hang out a lot at PM. My mother and others were born at PM and went to school with Cheddi.
I had a late Albion school Muslim friend who lived at PM and thru him I knew other people from the Masjid. Most now living in TO and NY.
What a bloody small world.
Imam Kadir moved the family to Kildonan Village sometime in the 50s where he bought land but stayed in charge of Jama Masjid at PM until his death in the early 90s.
Do you know what my great-grandfather's specific job on the Estate was? All I know is "driver/overseer". That doesn't say much.
I assume you did not spend much time on the sugar estate.
Like Cheddi's Dad, an overseer was in-charge of a gang of workers who oversaw the worker's performance and a driver is about the same position, who 'drive' the workers for better productivity... It was an elevated position on the estate and driver/overseer is looked at as a prestigious positions. British designations.
Before tractors pulled the sugar cane 'punts' [barges] to factory, there were oxen to do the pulling and horses before trail bikes to take managers to the back dam.
All sugar estates had stables for the horses, with workers to look after the animals.
My grand father at PM was the stable boss who looked after all the workers.
They had a large wheel with sharp blades attached, that spin and cut pieces of sugar cane in two inch sizes that animals ate.
As the cane is fed into the manual blade by spinning the wheel, workers had to be carful that their fingers don't get caught.
The animals were also fed corn, that we used to trap birds under a pyramid trap make of bamboo. The corn would be placed under the trap and one side elevated with a four inch stick and a string tied to the stick. Patience comes into play as we waited, sometimes for hours behind a bush for a bird to eat the corn.
We would pull the string and the cage would fall trapping the bird.
Try teaching that patience to kids these days.
I have fond memories of the stables at Albion and PM where my grad father was the 'stable boss'.
A few years ago as I was tying to find out what happen to my GF's house,. I was directed to an old man who lived close to my GF. He talked about meetings under my GF house and when the house fell down, after being vacant for a long time, the material was use to build a smaller house near the overhead water tank at PM, owned by a lady who work at Alim Shaw store at Rose Hall Town, where my sister worked who murdered a few years ago.
Near Bangaree's house at Free Yard PM, across the street from ni**er yard, lived a young woman who worked at Taliim's store that was located where Spready's store now exist, near PM market.
A small world indeed....For decades I hang out with seven brothers and one sister from Kildonan in Tortola BVI. I saw them last August in BVI and October in Chicago.
These guys have a story to tell. Their dad died when they were small and their mother brought them up. I will be seeing them again shortly in Florida and will ask about your GGF.
I record their stories on video and if they talk about your GGF I will try getting you a recording.
Bhai Tola, Good Manin.
Man this sugar factory "lil bai" days bring back a lot of old memories. Those were the good old days. Ever yearn for those days again? Like stealing the best piece sugar cane from the punt while they were being pulled to the factory? Keeping an eye on the watchman so you can "tief and run"? I did work for about 6 months at Skeldon sugar factory in 1967 and another year in the Local Accounts Office. The best part of the factory was sitting by the baggase(magasse) logie shooting the crap during the slow times.
