Where there is life there is constant change, change for the better, change for the worse.. In death too there is change - decomposition.

In the past, Guyanese were branded `mud-heads’ by those who sought to infer that they were slow to accept changes. Maybe it would be appropriate now to refer to us as deadwood, useless material, because of our reluctance to take up the challenge and make things happen without government intervention.

A letter recently appeared in the Stabroek News, Guyana Chronicle and Catholic Standard with the headline “A Fresh Look at Nature Study in Guyana” Mr Fitz H. Ogle wrote:

“It is a fact that natural science taught in tropical schools suffers through having been evolved from that of temperate countries; and this may be said not only of its content but of the methods used in teaching it. The long `dead’ winter of the temperate zones, connected to a commonly urban environment, has encouraged an indoor approach to the subject, based on the study of dead specimens and of books which we who teach in the tropics have less need to impose on ourselves. We are fortunate to work where direct contact with plants and animals in their natural habitats is usually possible at all seasons of the year.”

Mr Ogle points out that

“To exploit this asset, especially when introducing biology in the fourth year of secondary school would seem to hold considerable advantages. Then our students are most likely to come to appreciate the subject for what it is - a study of plants and animals by man - rather than information to be accepted and memorised.

He adds;

“The development programmes are placing increasing emphasis on agriculture, particularly the need for it’s diversification, but it is obvious that in order to accomplish diversification of agriculture and improvements of our natural resources, we need to know, among other things, exactly what (edible) plants, animals and soils we have in Guyana, where they are and what are their characteristics.

Mr Ogle did not wait for someone to pick up his ideas and run with them; he formed the Evergreen Nature Study Club in September, 1997 introducing the members to this new approach to nature study. With the support of a few organizations the club is now well founded.

A word about Mr Ogle. He returned to Guyana after excelling in agricultural studies in Brazil, only to find that there was no place for him in the establishment. He reconciled himself to teaching at his old school and there he found his niche, setting out on his own to teach nature study the way it ought to be taught.

There are other areas where we need to have a new approach. Few young people have any knowledge of the history of British Guiana. Even older persons are not aware that at one time the three counties Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo were separately managed with their own Governors. This knowledge is vital if we are looking for new areas for development. Essequibo was a thriving area and today could be setting the pace for others to follow if only we could identify the persons with a determination to turn Essequibo around from being a Cinderella to the position of Queen of the Caribbean..

New leaders must come forward. They are there but need to take strength and follow the example of others. There is Mr Hilton Chan of Lusignan who perseveres in an effort to form the Friends of the Botanic Gardens group with the object of working in alliance with the Parks Commission to restore the gardens to the their former beauty and status.

It is for such persons to establish their positions as leaders of a new Guyana, bringing back the old of which we were so proud and creating new forms of development in keeping with the changing times.