Rich Memories

I remember very well few of the things of my days at Blairmont when I was a four year old. One of those I looked forward to was when I finished school in the afternoon, I would walk back home and stop out at my Dad’s office where he would stand outside waiting for me to give me a rubber band. That in those days was for me a special kind of toy to play with forever. My Dad was then working as a chemist in the plantation laboratory. They checked for sugar quality and content in the cane grown in the plantation. The way back from school was interesting. From school I walk for a few minutes on a narrow road on both sides of which was nicely cut grass to a high bridge, over a canal. The grassed, green area has on one side a big grocery store, run by my parents’ friend. They had several children- one or two of them were already married. On the other side of the green area was a rum-shop -in a prominent location. Not far away was the ‘pay office’ where people went on Saturday to get their pay. Past the high bridge ahead was the locomotive train line. That ran from the sugar factory to a stelling on the riverside. From there boats would carry sugar from the factory to Georgetown and from there into larger boats to England. Past the train line on one side is the large single story office building in a large open lawned area. Opposite, set in an open lawned area surrounded by medium height trees for privacy, was the majestic three-storey General Manager’s house. Past that, I turn left into a road leading to Dad’s workplace. On one side of that road was the plantation’s senior staff club house with lawn tennis court. On the other side was their swimming pool, screened by trees. Further along past Dad’s office, was the plantation hospital. After that a straight road, with houses on both sides to our house, the last one.