Category: Features

For Narine Dat Sookram, volunteering is much more than a passion. It is practically in his blood and almost a full-time job. Growing up near Number 63 Beach in rural Guyana, Sookram, at age 14, established a youth group to enable members to learn, grow and support their community. His obsession to serve people and communities continued when he migrated to Kitchener in 1993. He founded the Active Vision Charity Association to promote Indo- Caribbean culture in Canada and help newcomers assimilate into a new society. For the past 17…

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As a Guyanese living in Toronto for too long now, I don’t get to savour things Guyanese a lot, unless I make it myself. So when the Toronto Independence Day Festival came around June 23 (Still too cold here in Toronto on May 26) this year, I revelled in nationalist pride and wrapped myself in my flag for a day. Little did I know what was in store for me. A small group of eight children from Katiwau (Sand Creek), South Rupununi, a Wapishana cultural dance troupe, caused a storm…

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The Kissoon Annual Charity Golf Tournament raises funds for those in need in Guyana, Canada and other parts of the world. The Kissoon Annual Charity Golf Tournament was started in 2000. Sugrim Kissoon, patriarch of the Kissoon clan, passed away in 1979. Though he never visited Canada, his children decided that they wanted his name to be forever remembered in their adopted home land. The tournament took its birth at the Mayfield Golf and Country Club in Caledon, Canada. There were eighty golfers. Little did the organizers of the first…

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Physiotherapist Beverly Nelson of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation explains her department’s mandate and her love for what she does. The Rehabilitation Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is a key department within our medical sector in Guyana. Professional therapists provide timely, restorative medical techniques, in helping persons with temporary or permanent disabilities, heal both physically and emotionally. Equipped with medical therapy experts, the Rehabilitation Department offers effective, modernized programmes. Of note is Beverly Nelson, the principal physiotherapist of the department. Nelson has been working in physiotherapy for…

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By Dmitri Allicock Born and growing up in the Upper Demerara area of Linden, I have come to appreciate the great achievements of those who have lived there and contributed significantly to society and representing Guyana on the international map. Legendary Manly Binning was featured in Part I, this week we highlight the great achievements of Walter Spence. Walter Spence may be the first Guyanese to ever win an Olympic medal. He competed for Canada in the 1928 Olympics, winning a bronze medal. Walter Percy Spence, born March 3, 1901,…

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Charity sees technology education particularly important to young Guyanese Save Abee (Us), is a non-profit organisation registered in the U.S. that is currently in the process of obtaining non-profit status in Guyana and Canada. The foundation is based on the principle of giving the children of Guyana the skills required to operate a computer efficiently. It primarily focuses its efforts in the rural regions of Guyana, where transportation and computers are lacking. Speaking with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, U.S.-based Guyanese Sham Tilak, said he started the charitable organisation Save Abee…

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Traditionally, throughout the world, the month of June is associated with weddings and “June brides”. It is felt that if a marriage is consummated in June, it is perceived as a blessing and the chances of love and affection would unite couples into an everlasting bond. Whether this is true or not, there are some Guyanese customs to which couples would adhere, regardless of the consequences: “Don’t look back while going up the aisle”; “jumping the broom”- a West African tradition; “don’t ever let a dog eat your wedding cake”;…

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MP Bibi Shadick talks about her life and her simple approach to its challenges Member of Parliament, former government minister, advocate and patriot, Bibi Shadick has ardently used her office to help others; something she feels very passionately about. In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Shadick said she was born and grew up in Leguan , Essequibo. Childhood in the country, she noted, is always a happy experience. She attended primary school in Leguan and is the fourth of nine children. In 1956, Shadick enrolled at the Bishop’s…

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