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“My intention was that I wanted to do a trade, so I started doing a little cycle repairs and from there, I got into the (sugar) factory where I worked my way up to senior engineer.”By Leon SuseranGuyana, today, does not have many engineers. It is a field that has seen a dearth of talent but it is a rather lucrative profession. Grenville Augustus Felix is one of Guyana’s oldest living engineers. He began his career as a Factory Engineer Foreman at the Booker’s Sugar Estate back in 1954, where he supervised the maintenance of the factory’s machinery. He moved up the ranks not too long after. He has trained countless engineers across the country to sharpen as well as master their skills in the field.Grenville FelixFelix is not only talented for his engineering skills, but for adroitly making iron chairs and other kinds of chairs, which he enjoyed doing up to a few years ago. He is also a very staunch ‘family man’ who loves and cares deeply for those closest to him. The entire gang, ironically, will be congregating in just over a week’s time at his Canefield,Jerseys NFL Wholesale China Online, East Canje residence for a big 95th birthday anniversary celebration.His family realises that he is a special person amongst them. They have been treasuring his presence and have been celebrating his birthday in a real big way every five years.It was the beginning of a new day, July 16, 1917, when a loud cry of excitement was heard in Betsy Ground Village. He related that everyone in the village wanted to know what was causing all the raucous and the villagers wondered. As they (the villagers) drew closer to Mr and Mrs Thomas Felix’s home, they were delighted to discover that little Grenville had entered the world. His father, Thomas, was a balata bleeder and his mom, Rachel was a housewife.During his tender age and years, he recalled scrubbing floors “until your fingers can no longer hold the brush and sanding furniture until the desired results are achieved, as well as washing large bundles of clothes using a wooden beater or a scrubbing board”. He also recalled “leaving to go catch ‘conga’ fish when free from the demands of school and to prepare dad’s lunch before the factory whistle blows as well as cleaning the yard until there was no more paper or straw”.He vividly recalled riding his bicycle for two hours to New Forest, Canje, then walking for about an hour to North Cumberland Farm (150 acres), “and then spending three hours planting rice, and two hours harvesting pumpkin and cassava.These produce were then carried on our backs for the return journey of one hour through puddles of mud and pimples, in order to bypass the fearful stump in the Canje Creek”.Grenville attended Elementary School in East Canje, and at age 13, he received a partial scholarship to attend a Secondary School in Georgetown and upon completion, he returned to St Patrick’s Anglican School (where he graduated) to complete his secondary education.He quickly learned and enjoyed to do cycle repairs “and from cycle repairs, I went to the estate and started to work there as an apprentice at the age of 16”.  When asked why he went into apprenticeship at the sugar factory, Felix related that “my intention was that I wanted to do a trade, so I started doing a little cycle repairs and from there, I got into the factory where I worked my way up to senior engineer”.Retirement party held in Felix's honour at Booker's Estate. He is fifth from rightIn 1958, he warranted a promotion to Senior Factory Engineering Foreman after which he was promoted to Assistant Engineer in 1967 where he performed administrative duties and liaison to the Senior Foremen.Amazingly, at the age of 94, he can still vividly remember things very well and recalled a horrible incident at the Rose Hall Estate which took place on January 13, 1970, whereby seven workers in the boiler section all drowned. It was Felix’s first day back on the job after a vacation in the Caribbean and he was there when his colleagues were drowning.“Seven men drowned in a clarifier…these men– they usually do cleaning after operations– and they stopped grinding (sugar) and they didn’t bother to do any cleaning on Sunday, until Monday and by Monday, the (sugar cane) juice was like stale,Jerseys NFL Wholesale China, you know, and the men went there and the fellow who was the foreman for them left and went to ask for some pipe, which he wanted for his house, and when he came back the workers were all missing. That clarifier was something else; when that juice stale, you can hardly take the scent and they tried and eventually, seven men died there.” He related that the men actually drowned in the clarifier and “nobody could have helped them because they go in from the top, you couldn’t get them out and nobody could have gone inside to help them”.Clarifiers are large tanks that are used to settle heated cane juice before evaporation. After a period of time, toxic substances called mud builds up in the clarifier. Hence, clarifiers need to be periodically cleaned to purge the toxic substances. It was during this cleaning phase that the seven workers met their demise.He was around and turned out the same day to work  “…and in coming I saw people running, coming towards the boiling house side and I thought something happened and I, too, started to run and then someone told me some men drowned and I was shocked”. Felix said that he made every effort to save the men’s lives “but we couldn’t do anything with them and I knew one fellow, he died and his brother-in-law died too, who went to see if he could save him… but ended up dying”. Felix did his utmost to render assistance to the dying men but was not successful.As a result of the fatal accident,Authentic NFL Jerseys Wholesale China, Sir Edward Luckhoo, the acting Governor General of Guyana, ordered a Commission of Inquiry. Sir Kenneth Stoby headed the Commission. A report was issued in May 1970. It concluded that the men died from the dangerous gases in the clarifier such as hydrogen sulphide. This gas was caused by fermentation that existed from the presence of mud and other matter in the clarifier.The Commissioners blamed Bookers (now GuySuCo) for its failure to ensure compliance with the Factories (Safety) Regulations of 1953. These regulations clearly stipulated that workers must be provided with breathing apparatus and/or safety belts and ropes when cleaning the clarifier. The Report also faulted the company for other failures. For instance, the process foreman and cleaners did not ensure that the mud valve was dismantled.  This was a necessary step before the workers entered the clarifier, as required by the usual procedures.The Report called for, inter alia, adequate training to workers who are charged with the responsibility of cleaning clarifiers; written instructions to workers on proper procedures for the cleaning of equipment and a record kept of the individuals who have been issued these instructions; and more frequent factory inspection by qualified officers of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.In 1972, Felix was promoted again to Senior Assistant Engineer where he trained and mentored Assistant Foremen and performed administrative duties as well as consultations. In 1974, he was promoted to Assistant Factory Manager- Engineer, and retired three years later in 1977, but because he was a valued person in the industry and to his colleagues, he was called back to work in the same designation ( Asst Factory Manager- Engineer) in 1978, where he provided technical assistance to the Engineers, training and consultation.Some of the things he ensured his young engineers did included “maintenance– it was the main thing– every weekend you had maintenance and then during out-of-crop, you get longer maintenance”.All of his working days were spent at Rose Hall Estate (Bookers) and he enjoyed every bit of it.“Through my job, I saw England and USA…as well as the Caribbean Islands”. He visited there for work- related matters, training as well as vacations.In the prime of Grenville’s parenthood years, he instilled the most important survival lesson to his children. These lessons have certainly prepared them to excel at life’s endeavours. He got married to Ann Saize Ferdinand- Russell (deceased since 1982) on May 20, 1942, at the All Saints’ Anglican Church in New Amsterdam. The union bore ten children.It was customary for the Grenville household to attend church weekly and daily for those who were acolytes/ altar servers. Our ‘Special Person’ exhibited the church principles and practices as an exemplary role model to his family, extended family and also to the entire community. Throughout his life, Grenville Felix has been and still is looked upon as an ardent and lifetime member of the St Patrick’s Anglican Church. He served as Lay Reader, Church Advisor, Choir Member and Treasurer; such an all- rounder he was.Our featured person stated that “my ultimate desire for the remainder of my life is to continue to be of service to the people I encounter along life’s journey and to share a word of encouragement”. “I look forward to the day when my name is called upon ‘yonder’ and my body laid to rest in the St Patrick’s Church cemetery above my father, Thomas, and alongside my mother, Rachel”.After his retirement, Felix revealed that he was still very active. He started another romantic relationship to satisfy his leisure time and emotional void. This, of course, resulted in a marital union between the late Sheila Alexander and him in 1987. After she died, he then found his present companion,Cheap NFL Jerseys Supply, Eloise Scarville. His retirement did allow him to travel without limitations.Today, he takes it very easy but still enjoys his favourite foods, cook- up rice in any form, “but especially chicken and duck”. He believes that soup– especially split- peas and black-eye peas –is a necessary food to sustain life. He also enjoys banana,NFL Jerseys Outlet, peanuts, pears, water coconut and avocados. However, he said that he is gracious to accept whatever is prepared and set before him.His hobbies today? Believe it or not, up to a few months ago,NFL Jerseys Supply, Felix was making wooden furniture, especially tables and chairs. “I like doing woodwork, so I would make little benches, chairs and so….also plumbing work and gardening”.  He stated that when he looks at his chairs today, “I remember my working days, you know?”When asked what his vision was for his children, he said, “let love and unity exist among them all; make sacrifices for your children’s education; let your children be brought up in a Christian home; and any property handed down by ancestors must be cherished and handed down from generation to generation”.