No Surprise! ‘Uncle Doug’ of Perth Village, Mahaicony is 102
Uncle Doug from Perth, Mahaicony is 102
Kaieteur News – As the sun casts its soft golden rays across the sky of Perth’s farming village, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, Douglas James greeted the few people still in the yard before he made his way quietly up a short row of steps into his single storey house. Another year ended on the scoreboard.
Uncle Doug, as he is affectionately known, had confidently announced that he knew he would have lived beyond 100 years. At his 102nd birthday celebration on January 6, 2021, he was surrounded by relatives, friends and villagers sitting in his Perth Village yard, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.
They were not surprised at the sport either. They laughed and nodded harmoniously. Uncle Doug is not a shy centurion.
What strikes you at the start is his proud slim stature and smart eyes. He recognizes everyone with a quick scratch and quietly observes the crowd before adding his opinion.
Visitors are often surprised when told that he lives alone, still enjoys climbing the fruit tree in front of his home and cooking his own meals.
“That man is a disgrace to many young people. Imagine 102 and still going strong. You can’t even get some young people these days to walk to the shop, ”shared one of his neighbors at the party. More laughter echoed throughout the yard followed by positive nods.
He followed the conversations by lip-reading. His hearing has deteriorated over the past few years, but he insists that all he needs is a good hearing aid.
“I had one but I didn’t hear everything well. I need to check my ears again and get another one, ”he explained.
Uncle Doug was born on February 5, 1919, at the end of the First World War and was pleased to see Guyana’s transition from a British colony to an independent nation on May 26, 1966.
Like many young men of his generation who grew up in Mahaicony, he left home to make his own way in life, traveling across the rugged Guyana to work in the logging and mining industries.
“I worked with wood and beat pork all over. No matter where I went, I always came back to Mahaicony, ”he smiled. “I worked all over, from Essequibo to Demerara to Berbice. Things were different in those days. ”
As the oldest person in Perth’s three neighboring villages, Spooner, Plantation No. 10 plant – connected by Branch Road, the main street is cut along the meandering Mahaicony river – his birthdays get celebrate them with pride.
Relatives, friends, neighbors, politicians, church members, Guyana Police and villagers visited him throughout the day with gifts and good wishes.
Uncle Doug has never married and has no biological children. But he has raised several children in the neighborhood, including his stepdaughter, Merlene Brown, who went on to ask her to share a childhood memory in Perth.
“It worked hard so you never went hungry,” he said. “But, Lordy, he was strict and you had to follow his rules. He is a caring person; just ask anyone in the village. That guy can knit a cast net. One of my childhood memories is that he sat on the couch and knitted nets quickly, quickly, quickly. ”
“Ask him about his net knitting days,” a voice pierced the conversation from nearby.
According to the villagers, Uncle Doug is a net making legend in the Mahaicony area. His slender fingers have knitted thousands of fishing nets for family, friends, fishermen and women in villages far and wide.
‘I made thousands and thousands of nets. I started making nets from a very young age. I used to make my own nets and go fishing, and then people wanted nets. I made nets for everyone in the village and people from other villages. But now my eyes are not as good, so I had to stop, ”he explained.
And yet, Uncle Doug ensured that tradition lives on in Mahaicony – he has taught many young villagers the techniques of net making.