Your Eyewitness wasn’t surprised that, with all the hoopla over Nomination Day for the LGE, a very touching and inspirational Guyanese story almost got lost in the hokum. It’s a pity; stories of people who become successful through grit, determination, and solid moral character help nations become successful. In the US, a 19th century writer of such stories was named Horatio Alger, and “Horatio Alger heroes” continue to inspire people!!
Well, one Guyanese Horatio Alger character’s name is Joe Solomon – formally “Joseph Stanislaus Solomon” – who was born at Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice, British Guiana on August 26, 1930, and went on to play cricket with great distinction for the West Indies. Now, your Eyewitness can hear you saying, dear reader: “So what??” Well, read the book just released by distinguished Guyanese historian Clem Seecharan and you’ll find out there’s a whole heap of “what”!!
Right off the bat, you’d know that Joe was born on a sugar plantation in deep rural Berbice – far from the Mecca of cricket in Georgetown; the glamour of Bourda and the Demerara Cricket Club that made sure cricket remained a “gentleman’s” game. Then, being born in 1930 meant Joe grew up smack in the heart of the Great Depression, when sugar was hit hardest, and strikes and riots for better conditions raged over the land. Joe would’ve been eight when those workers were shot and killed at Plantation Leonora in 1938.
But Joe stuck to his schooling, and went to work in the office of the sugar estate as a clerk, to augment his dad’s meagre income that had to take care of the family of six. Joe took a liking to cricket – which was the game played by the white managers and staff of the plantation – and Joe and his friends imitated them with their makeshift bats, balls, and pads made from scraps around the village. Bats were made from coconut “branches”; balls from balata wood, or anything round; and pads from cardboard. He started playing for the Port Mourant Cricket Club – most sugar estates had makeshift cricket clubs – and then for Berbice, and finally for the West Indies at the age of twenty-eight.
He was a classic all-rounder –batsman, bowler (right-arm leg spin) and a superb fielder. And it was in the last role that he secured his place in the annals of cricketing lore. With the score tied during a WI-vs-Australia match in Australia, and one wicket to go for the Aussies, the ball went towards Joe. He scooped it up and, in one fluid motion, threw the ball to hit the single stump in his vision!! Only tied Test match!!
Yes…we need more stories told of ordinary Guyanese “Joes” who changed the world!!
…food security
Your Eyewitness was pleased to read that, in addition to reaping the first crop of corn and soya in the Intermediate Savannahs of Tacama, the Government’s putting in the infrastructure to start processing the grains. He read that a drying floor’s being constructed …that’s good. For the soya!! But what about the corn?? Is that gonna be dried also?? Sounds like it. That needs to be made very clear, so folks don’t think they’ll be enjoying Guyanese sweet corn!!
So, he guesses that the grains are gonna be dried, and then shipped to the coast for processing further into feed for poultry and cattle. That’ll be a good start, and your Eyewitness hopes we don’t allow the project to fall into decrepitude like the PNC did during the seventies. That’s right, folks – PNCites just love to talk about all the great ideas Burnham had. He certainly did with utilising the Intermediate Savannahs. But if they all failed…what’s the point?
They’re merely object lessons in what NOT to do!!
…soup??
Upon observing the several prominent members of the PNC showing up in red shirts on Nomination Day, they’ve been insulted as “soup drinkers and house slaves”. Well, folks “gat fah eat”…and Cuffy and Toussaint were house slaves!! Heroes!!
