Sunday, July 21, 2024
The Publisher has a way of bringing up long-buried or unremembered memories in us; well, especially in me. Special memories of a time when we were still innocent, when Belize was still innocent. He was reminiscing about all the clubs and social milieus we were blessed with, during that time, pre-independence! When the most popular form of transportation was your bicycle, and five dollars could give you a good time on Saturday night. All these thoughts come flowing out because of his very inspirational account of a time that is long gone!
What I remember is that in the late 50s and early 60s, trucks ruled. With names like Jacaranda, June Allyson, La Bonita, Quo Vadis, Myrna Lou, all gaudily decorated, and let’s not forget Flying Bird, the pride of the Hummingbird Highway! Passengers would be packed like sardines on wooden benches, and in the back behind them, would be freight and luggage. No seat belts back then, so anything could happen, and the rides were thrilling and long. There were rest stops, like Maskall on the old Northern Highway; and if you were going all the way north, the trucks would also stop at the Mi Amor restaurant in Orange Walk, owned by Johnny Burns. On a personal note, I’d like to believe that my father-in-law named La Bonita after the beautiful Emma Rubicella, but I’m not sure.
It was a time when there were roads, not highways, usually in disrepair, dusty, and they made the trip a little longer. They were so narrow that there were passing bays, so the oncoming traffic could get by. When Premocal (Pembroke Hall) was the biggest industry in Belize with the sugar factory. When Burgos and Briceño and Burns and Derrick Gillett were the titans of Orange Walk! Mr. Price changed Premocal to Libertad, and for me the name lost its lustre. Corozal wasn’t the sleepy town it has always been portrayed as during that time; it was hustling and bustling, until Orange Walk took over as the sugar capital!
But what a time it was in the Jewel, during those mostly peaceful and innocent days. When you had to get permission from the parents to court their daughters; and if they didn’t approve, it would be better for you, because she would want you more! When our cars were Austins and Cambridges and Land Rovers and Bedford trucks and Mini Mokes, all British cars. American vehicles were a luxury back then. What a time, and what a thing!
It was a time when nightclubs, nightlife, were a huge part of life in the city! There were great bands, and live music was a must at any dance; no DJs. When St. Ignatius Fair was a big deal, when baseball and basketball were still a novelty. When Memorial Park was the place to be on Sunday evenings or during the 10th of September festivities, weeklong celebrations. When Dickie Gardiner’s Continental Club was the best House of Ill Repute, great entertainment! But we were innocent.
The thing about these memories is that they wake us up, or revive something in us that has long gone dormant, with age and time. It can be the elixir to fix or block out all the negativity of our now, in my opinion. But mostly, it was a time of peace and innocence!
Glen