Dear Editor:
The article 'Winnipeg Hawks overcome Superman Russell to clinch title' (ICW, August 21/19) fully captures the excitement, drama and skill of an exceptional afternoon's cricket enjoyed by the packed stands of spectators, including this visitor from the UK, his daughter and some of their Canadian relatives.
Congratulations to the organisers who gave us the opportunity to see so many world class players in action on the excellent turf wicket and outfield. It was an afternoon to remember with a wonderful atmosphere and the spectators in full party mode.
Without wishing to sound churlish there were some things that might have been organised just that little better to make a very, very good afternoon perfect.
First of all – PARKING! It was a bit disconcerting to arrive at the ground at 13.45 for a 14.00 hrs start to be told that there was no parking there and that we had to park at the International Centre on Airport Road in Mississauga and then take a shuttle bus back to the ground in Brampton. No problem if we had known of this before leaving home and made appropriate time allowance. The necessary information was neither shown on our ticket documents nor in a visible statement on the GT20 website (it was buried in the website FAQs as we found out later).
It would have helped if the centre, a very big area, provided some directions as to where to find the shuttle bus. Fortunately, we chanced upon a school bus in the distance with fellow would-be spectators who, like us, were unaware of the parking restrictions at the ground. At first, the queue was long with just one bus, that was followed later by a second and then, a third.
When we arrived at the ground the match was in progress and security further deprived us of some vital viewing time.
I have attended world cup cricket in Guyana and England (most recently in the 2019 tournament), the London Olympics and World Paralympics in addition to several large music festivals. In all of these the highly professional security staff got the paying customers into their seats safely and quickly. At the CAA there were two security officers per entrance booth. At ours, the second person who was checking us out as we passed through, walked away, keeping us in line at the booth for 5 minutes, then came back and wandered away again.
The cricket was fantastic, as was the music from a fine DJ whose exhortations that we jump up and put our hands in the air were followed vigorously. Unfortunately, as my father-in-law noted, announcement was sparse about who was bowling, who was batting, who was out, who was coming in, etc. Such information is nowadays presented on the scoreboard and the big screen but with only one scoreboard and one big screen visible from the VIP areas, we in the silver stand (and spectators from most of the other stands) were seriously disadvantaged.
Such was the lack of information that sections of spectators were at one time chanting "we want Russell" even as Mr Russell was lashing the Winnipeg bowlers out of the park.
Game over and feeling exhilarated we left the stands and were out to the shuttle bus collection point just before 19.00 hrs – two lines of spectators – but where were the buses? Eventually, one arrived, filled up and departed. And we waited. At 19.15 hrs we called a friend who took us back to our vehicle at the International Centre. There were obvious gaps in the planning and execution of operations to ensure maximum satisfaction to all the cricketing aficionados.
There is talk of a permanent home for the GT20 being established at Brampton. This would be well deserved as the support was wonderful from the knowledgeable and enthusiastic spectators at the game but please pay heed to some of the observations in this missive.
A final, small gripe – the 4/6 cards used for waving when boundaries are hit, were not widely available. But those on hand were printed on cardboard (great for the environment), not plastic.
These irritants did not detract from our enjoyment of the cricket and the occasion in general but not having to put up with them would have made a great afternoon even greater.
David Eastwood, Bicester, OXON, UK. |
Dear Editor:
Having followed the goings-on at the Georgetown City Council for a number of years now, I am left to wonder why the senior officers there, have to be told what to do on a daily basis for routine tasks by the Councillors, the Local Government Commission and/or the Communities Ministry, who then have to stand over them to ensure that they carry out the simplest of undertakings.
In other organizations and companies in Guyana and elsewhere, the Chairman and the Board, which the Mayor and City Councillors really are, would merely be responsible for setting policy guidelines, and giving general directions. The CEO would then ascertain and establish exactly what has to be done in keeping with those decisions and in turn ensure that the heads of departments and their staff carry out their mandates accordingly. Not so at City Hall.
One reads of the City Treasurer (ag) refusing requests of the Town Clerk, City Council and the Local Government Commission to hand over some of the City’s financial records for auditing, and giving the ridiculous excuse that the records are too sensitive.
This is simply bizarre, how could the records detailing how the monies paid by ratepayers are spent, become classified? And even more troubling is the fact that this gentleman was not even given a slap on the wrist for such obtuseness.
Why does the City Treasurer have to be told that he has to remit monies to the National Insurance Scheme, the Guyana Revenue Authority and other places by the Local Government Commission? Does he not know that he is duty and legally bound to do so?
The Engineer’s Department has plumbers, masons, carpenters, tinsmiths, painters and many other construction and engineering competencies within their employ, but rather than repairing and maintaining the majestic City Hall building which resembles a small castle, a little at a time each year, they opted to do nothing to the building but occupy it for the last three decades, watching it crumble to the ruins it has become, and await a largesse of a whopping $200 Million from some fairy godmother.
Then we learnt that the fencing around Russell Square in the Stabroek Market area had disappeared, as have so many other things concerning the Council, but the real absurdity is that the Chief Constable is reported to be waiting to be instructed in writing to have his ranks investigate the disappearance of this chain link fencing that is the property of the Council. Simply preposterous!
Then just this week we found the Abattoir closed for business. The reason given was that they had no hose or water to sanitize the facility, leaving it in an unhealthy and unsanitary state. I guess they are awaiting a directive to purchase a piece of hose, replace the water heating tank and have the plumbers fix the pipelines.
Whatever happened to those Sanitary Inspectors who were given a fancy new name – Environmental Health Officers – that used to visit each yard regularly to ensure that good public health practices were maintained in the city. Does the Council have to instruct them to go back into their districts?
And what about those district gangs that kept the parapets in pristine condition using hand scythes and cutlasses many years ago and those that kept the drains clean using shovels and hoes? Today they have motorized brush cutters, mist blowers, Madvacs and excavators, and yet in most areas these municipal workers are never seen, the drains are clogged, and the grass on the parapets is taller than humans, and encourages a lot of unwanted wildlife.
With all of the robberies and burglaries occurring in and around the markets, do the relevant officers have to be instructed by the Local Government Commission to have security cameras installed and monitored at these facilities? I hope not.
Just look at what has happened to the administration, security, aesthetics and maintenance of Le Repentir Cemetery. Not so many moons ago this cemetery was well-administered by the Sexton’s office, which kept records of burials and information of the various beds, supervised the rangers who were part of the security arrangements, and kept the cemetery weeded. High grass or trees growing among the tombs was never permitted. Today the cemetery is now an international disgrace.
Do we just have to accept that Georgetown will never regain its former glory?
Kishore Das via email
|