In the Spotlight – Guyana
Hazukashii
In the Spotlight – Guyana
By Ed “Hazukashii” Howell
16 May 2022
Guyana is located in the North-East region of South America, with Venezuela to the west, Suriname to the East, and Brazil to the south. The Atlantic Ocean provides a coast line of over 400 Kms to the north. Like many other countries in the region, Guyana was occupied by various European powers in the 17th & 18th Centuries. First the Dutch settled in, but then the British took possession around 1815, according to the World Factbook. Gaining independence in 1966, a succession of various leadership has not fostered the best of circumstances for the citizens of Guyana. Despite this, the people of Guyana are very friendly and active. As one of the poorest countries in the region, the discovery of oil in 2015 may lead to better economic times in the future of the country.
Guyana has many natural sites to see, with the Kaieteur Falls being the primary tourist attraction. According to Beautiful World (dot) Com, “Kaieteur Falls is one of the tallest and most powerful waterfalls in the world. Located in Kaieteur National Park, Guyana, the falls’ impressive combination of height and force make it a fearsome sight.” Kaieteur Falls is located approximately 225 Kms inland from the capital city of Georgetown, and near daily flights can be arranged with the local airlines, or charter flights can be booked when available.
Whenever I visit a new country, I try to confirm the data in the genealogy, while also digging up any additional details. This trip would be no exception. In discussion with the current and longtime GM, Colin "Chopsuzuki" Lee, he generally confirmed the primary information in the genealogy, and added much more. Chops stated that the first hash actually happened in 1988 as a random event, and was pretty sure that Richard Clayton was involved.
The HHH Genealogy credits Dave 'Jungle Man' Taylor as the founder of the Georgetown H3 on 10 December 1989, assisted by Mike 'Mighty Dimple' Haigh, Steve Waters, Amanda Rowlatt, Stephen Fell, Richard 'Dickhead' Clayton, David 'Nine Lives' Knevett, John Reynolds, Carol Ennifer, Sher Brock, Peter Giles, and Simon Harding. The genealogy lists Mother Hash as its source, and I was delighted to see Dave Taylor listed on the membership roster from 1987 to 1 Feb 1989, after which he headed to Guyana following a short stopover in the UK. I say delighted in this case, as a number of hash clubs have mistakenly listed themselves as direct legacy back to Mother Hash, when in actuality, the founder came from somewhere else, and never even hashed in Malaysia.
Chops mentioned that “At the time, the Guyana Sugar Corporation was being managed by Tate & Lyle of the UK, and all the upper management posts were staffed by Brits, who usually brought their families with them. They became the backbone of the Georgetown Hash House Harriers. Hashes happened on Friday afternoons after work.”
Chops also described a breakaway hash club, the Demerara H3, that was short lived from July 2012 to early 2014. They took their name, Demerara, as it is the region that Georgetown is located, and extends over 2000 square kms to the south of the city. They actually shared the same GM (Chewbacca) for the final 6 months of their existence. Started by the "Young Turks" . . . Clinton "Swampy" Urling, Latchmi "YapJack" Seecharran, Christine "Applebottom Bitch" Gooding, Merissa "3way Tramp" Hosein. The Young Turks wanted more regimented and regular hash runs, but after a year or so, Chewbacca slowly merged them back into the regular Georgetown H3. The Demerara H3 has now been added to the genealogy. Chops was not sure when it happened, but at some point over the past decade, the Georgetown H3 became the Guyana H3, which made it easier to identify the location, and they did not even have to change the abbreviation of GH3.
On my recent visit to Guyana, there was a hash scheduled for a Thursday morning at 6 am, meeting in front of the British High Commission. The pack showed up on Guyana time, assembling between 7 and 7:45 am, with the pack setting off on 8. The hare was Gypsy Bitch, and It was his birthday, so he had planned for a trail, followed by a breakfast on the waterfront. After that, there was a pool party and lunch. Later that evening, we adjourned to Taco Loco for drinks and more hash craziness, making it a full day. It was my good fortune to be there when this hash occurred, as they have been very irregular over the past few years, especially during COVID. Having run only 4 trails in 2021, this was actually their first trail in 2022 for the GH3.
The hashers of Guyana are very friendly, and happy to have visitors, but if you want to join the hash, you better plan ahead by checking the website.
For many more articles like this on the history of hashing, check out . . . http://gotothehash.net/history/inthespotlight.html