| The bauxite centennial committee in collaboration with the Guyana Post Office Corporation recently unveiled four centennial stamps in observance of the bauxite industry’s centennial anniversary.The unveiling was done at the Three Friends Mine, Region Ten, the site where bauxite was first mined in October 1916, and where the first bridge (Hope) over the Demerara River, was established.Chief engineer of BOSAI minerals,Wholesale Adidas Hockey Jerseys, and member of the Bauxite Century committee, Orin Barnwell, provided a breakdown of the evolution of bauxite from 1916 to 2016.Barnwell highlighted the early days of mining which involved manual labour with pick axes and shovels.In his reflections,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, Barnwell pointed out that in 1916 pick axes and shovels were the tools of extraction while mule carts and wooden barges or punts were used to transport the ore.He spoke of how a nine mile long railway was established in 1920 from Three Friends Mine to Mackenzie and the how instruments of that time were steam shovels and locomotives.According to Barnwell, in 1939 during the Second World War, Guyana exported 4.6 million tons of bauxite to Canada for the production of aluminium war planes. By that time the industry was using diesel and electrical powered machinery.Then came the 1960’s – the era of the bucket wheel excavator and the eight walking draglines.The year 2003 saw the implementation of hydraulic excavators and off highway trucks. This was largely due to the energy deficiency of 2003. The industry also stopped using explosives, that year, Barnwell said.Steve Connolly, author of “Children of Watooka”, a son of expatriates who was born in Guyana spoke about the bauxite industry from an expatriate point of view.The Guyana Post Office Corporation was represented by Postmaster General, Karen Brown, who introduced the stamps and provided background to the collaboration of the GPOC and the Bauxite Century Committee to make the stamps a reality.The Stamps were funded by R.U.S.A.L Guyana Bauxite Company Incorporated.Brown said that the stamps will be available in $80,NFL Jerseys Wholesale, $140,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, $150, $180 denominations at post offices country wide.She reflected on the British Guiana one-cent black on magenta which was printed in Georgetown, Guyana in April 1856, and is now one of the most valuable, rare and famous stamps in the world. It was issued in limited numbers in British Guiana (now Guyana) 160 years ago.In 2014, the stamp was sold for US$9.58 million. It has broken the world record for a single stamp auction price. The stamp is now on display at the American Postal Museum in Washington DC.Brown said that the “Commemorative stamps are the perfect memorabilia to celebrate an anniversary or significant event such as this since it is circulated both locally and internationally to a wide cross section of people.”Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Public Telecommunication was her advisor, Enrico Woolford, who noted that the unveiling of the stamps “serves as a reminder of our right to disseminate and receive information”.He said that the event also shows the relevance of the post office and expressed the hope to soon see post offices as information, Communication, technology (ICT) hubs in the near future as part of Guyana’s E-Governance plans.The stamps were unveiled by Enrico Woolford,Cheap Jerseys, aided by BC committee Chairman Horace James,Wholesale Football Jerseys, Three Friends Mine’s oldest resident Leah Lorimer and a student of the Coomacka Primary School.Highlights of the ceremony included cultural presentations by four time consecutive champions of the festival of choirs competition, the Region Ten choir, and poetry by Coomacka primary student Romona Fraser and Kezia McDonald from Regma Primary School. Both poems were reflections of bauxite mining. |
