I was Born in 1953 in British Guiana, a British Colony in Southbound U.S. about the size of England. It has the distinction of being the only English talking area in South America. Due to it's similar cultivation it is often considered part of the Caribbean.
Map out of British Guiana
Georgetown, Stabroek Market (1960's) (photo P Llyn-Jones)
Shortly after I was born in the capital metropolis of Georgetown (Atlantic seashore of South America, just northeasterly of the equator) my father joined "DEMBA" and my family touched to Mackenzie so that my father could strike out on his own and escape the influence of his father and the family business.
Georgetown 1956, Me, Mother and my cardinal older sisters, probably sledding to see our Uncle Leslie the dentist for our annual checkup, if you attend closely you might see a constable standing guard over the Governor residence (Photo Evan Wong)
I grew astir in Mackenzie, a bauxite mining town in the middle of the hobo camp 75 miles rising the Demerara rum River from the capital Georgetown. There were no roads, the only means in and out was by boat. Commercial transportation was provided by the "R.H. Carr" a river steamer that dropped by usually two or triplet times a workweek, offer a ten hour ride to Georgetown. The slow rate of travel was mandated to ensure that the wake of the steamer did not sink the Corial (dugout, from the Dutch Korjaal) secondhand aside most people on the Demerara rum river. In add-on to, no roads there was no Television set, no radio and virtually no newspapers providing quite the sack of isolation.
Mackenzie Sand hills (1956), My Get and I (Photograph Evan Wong)
Bauxite is the ore that Aluminum is made from and at unmatchable time Mackenzie was one of the worlds largest suppliers of Bauxite. During International War Deuce, Mackenzie was the primary supplier of Bauxite to the allies. This supply was of vital importance to the war effort. The Americans leased land from the British in 1941 and built and operated Atkinson Air Field (Guyana's initial airport) near Georgetown to provide line reconnaissance and protection for this Bauxite supply.
Atkinson Air Battlefield (Photo H.Hamilton)
Bauxite processing facilities at Mackenzie were also expanded during the warfare with the new facilities being constructed subway system to be insusceptible from European nation and Japanese bombing (Yeah I cognize information technology's hard to believe, either the state of war planners were idiots or far sighted, take your foot). The American's also built a runway in Mackenzie River that could be accustomed allow bare defense of the bauxite, but since no real terror emerged it was never brought into an in operation flying field.
Dakota over Mackenzie Airstrip, built by the Americans during the ordinal World War (photo P Llyn-Robert Tyre Jone)
Mackenzie Airstrip 2005 (photo bevl78 on Flickr)
The following photo was probably taken at Three Friends Mine.
Uncle John hoists ME in everyone's thoughts, only my youngest brother is missing from the photo (Photograph Evan Wong)
At the clock time of my childhood Mackenzie was a thriving mining townspeople owned and operated by the Demerara Bauxite Company (DEMBA) a subsidiary of the Aluminum Caller of Canada (ALCAN) from Montreal, Canada. Operating the bauxite mine and processing facilities required roughly one one hundred engineers. Acquiring these engineers and their families to want to live and work in this unconnected community takes some doing. DEMBA/ALCAN constructed a unshared community called Watooka within Mackenzie with sure as shooting facilities above and beyond what could be expected in Canada at the time. Despite its' isolation this pocket-size scoop of Canadiana had certain advantages.
Trey DEMBA engineers, French, Canadian and Guyanese, my Dad (right) (Photo Evan Wong)
Next: Watooka.
The History of Mackenzie
R.H. Carr – This send on was an icon from the early years.
Trine Friends – More than than just a mine.
Modern Day Mackenzie
Boucher Painting of a Couple Seated Outside, Her With Basket and Fan, Him on Ground With One Leg Up
Source: https://guyanathenandnow.wordpress.com/early-days-in-british-guiana/
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