That project, he said, was made possible after the then government made an approach to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for finances to execute the project. Most people planted one crop a year but since the completion of phase one of the project, farmers started to do better.” But according to him, “the problem was that there wasn’t a reliable and efficient D&I network and many farmers during those days would lose a lot. He stated that he understood the region had the potential for agriculture, mainly rice, cattle and sugar. “During those years with MMA, work was really challenging especially during the construction phase of the project because you had to be out there to ensure that the design is what was built,” he said.Ĭharles stated that one of his major accomplishments was seeing the completion of phase one of the Drainage and Irrigation (D&I) Project that helped persons, particularly farmers, in Region Five. In the year 1997, he started to function in the capacity as Secretary to the MMA Board of Directors and worked up to June 2003 at which point he served as General Manager up until his retirement last year. There he continued to work in the Lands and Surveys Department. In 1991, Charles served as the acting Manager for the Lands and Surveys Division of MMA then decided to further his studies at the University of Guyana in the area of Public Management. He remained at the main office and around 1987 was promoted to Senior Surveyor and worked in that position and, a few years later, was promoted to Chief Surveyor. The project, he explained, was built in three phases.Īccording to him, when phase one ended, he worked with the MMA main office as a surveyor, but when phase two started a year after, he did not return. From 1982 to 1984 when phase one of the project ended,” said Charles. I was involved in a lot of engineering surveys. “My job was to check to see whatever the contractor set out was done correctly. There was also a Dutch contracting company, which executed the construction of the project. There, he added, he executed a lot of field work since the consultant’s job was to design (drains, canals, dams, bridges). He said he arrived in Berbice to work at the MMA in 1982 as a qualified surveyor but had worked with the Consultants of the MMA project Sir William Halcrow and Associates (consultants to the GOG on the MMA project). “When I came up here with my family, those were the days when the project was active, so it was easy because as a surveyor, government would give us camp attendants, etc.,” he recalled. Good thing, we were coming on the condition that the government would be providing a place for us to stay, etc.,” he recalled during a recent interview.Ĭharles arrived in Berbice during a crucial stage of development in the region. “To be honest, in those times, they were deploying technical staff where they were needed… I was not happy when I learnt that I had to come to Berbice because I had no relatives here. That pivotal point in his life catapulted him to greater success in the field of Land Surveying.Ĭharles said he started working with the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission in 1981 and at the beginning of March 1982, he was seconded to the MMA/ADA project at West Coast Berbice. In 1981, he qualified as a Land Surveyor. He left the institute in 1979 with a Diploma in Land Surveying and in 1981 landed a job as a Survey Technician with the City Council. Charles said he worked there until 1976 when he was given a scholarship by the then government to study Land Surveying at the Government Technical Institute in the city. Years and then left and started working at the Georgetown City Council as an Accounts Clerk in November of 1971. He taught for twoĪn MMA/ADA General Manager who helped to make a difference He then started teaching at the Roman Catholic School in Plaisance. Reflecting on his years leading up to his Land Surveying career, he recalled that after writing GCE O’Levels, he attained six subjects including English and Math. As the eldest of six children, he attended the Guyana Oriental College (no longer exists) located on Thomas Street, Georgetown.Ĭharles, now 68 years old, is enjoying being away from the hustle and bustle of work. In fact, he credits his years of being in the field to self-motivation.īorn to parents Lindy Charles, a former Cane Harvester, and Ula Charles, he was raised in the village of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara. The Land Surveyor of Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice recently spoke candidly to this publication about his time serving at the MMA/ADA. Retired General Manager of the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary/Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA), Aubrey Charles, understands all too well the intricacies of this profession. Aubrey Charles, an accomplished Land Surveyor