former Chief Executive Officer of Linmine Secretariat

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The much anticipated Linden Town Week was officially launched at the Linden/ Georgetown bus park on Sunday evening. A sizeable crowd turned up to witness the event that was declared open by Linden Mayor, Carwyn Holland.Providing an evening of entertainment, the Town Week launch also saw several students being honoured and awarded for their achievement at both the Grade Six and CXC levels.A section of the audience at the Linden Town Week launching.Those awarded included best graduating student for Grade Six, Earnesta Gordon, Tony Frances and Duquan Hercules for CAPE and Shantoba Bright, who was adjudged sports personality of the year.Former IMC Chairman of the Linden Town Council, Orrin Gordon, was also honoured, for his contribution to the Town.Among those gracing the occasion were Minister within the Ministry of Communities Valerie Adams-Patterson; MP Jermaine Figueira; former Chief Executive Officer of Linmine Secretariat, Horace James; and Deputy Mayor Wanika Arrindel.CEO of Vybz Entertainment Devin Sears, who holds the Town Week franchise, in his welcoming address, reflected on the 20 years since the Linden Town Day was launched, and of its transition to Linden Town Week.Former Chief Executive Officer of the Linmine Secretariat, and a former senior executive of the bauxite company Horace James, gave an overview of the sterling contributions of Bauxite to the Guyanese economy, and the world at large.James reflected that in October 1916, the first spadeful of bauxite was mined at Three Friends mine up the Demerara River.Reminiscing on the great role that Guyana’s bauxite played, James pointed out that bauxite from these shores helped in a major way in winning both world wars. James said that forty percent of the planes used in those two wars were made using Guyana’s bauxite.He also pointed out that the Independence arch was also fashioned out of the alumina that was made from the bauxite that was processed in Linden. The arch was presented to the then Government on Guyana’s attainment of Independence, James said.Mayor Holland in his remarks exhorted for a shift in thinking, “Our vision must be broad and not miniscule. The Bible says, ‘As a man in his heart thinketh so is he’ if we propagate small-mindedness and divisiveness we will stifle ourselves and every opportunity to advance as a town.Make no mistake about it, if we fail to cooperate in our developmental trajectory, we will fail.Holland reflected on the Prophet Nehemiah of biblical times and how he set up groups of families around the wall that was being built to secure the lands for his people. Their duty, he noted, was to protect the city’s most vulnerable ‘spots’.“As we rebuild Linden, I call for us to collaborate in every corner and every sector, to shore up the most vulnerable parts of our Town. We need collective efforts to promote a secure environment, where businesses can thrive and investors flock.”Holland added that together a development agenda could be fostered, that would improve the quality of life for all Lindeners and promote prosperity and prestige.“We cannot gain success with an old lawless and chaotic system. It is time to embrace order and discipline, as engines that would preserve our efforts towards development.Our foundation for development, therefore, must be solid- must be strong.If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Don’t allow complacency to define your efforts.”The Linden Town Week this year coincides with the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of Guyana’s independence.