The Editor, Sir:

I am looking forward to reading The Rise and Fall of Falmouth, Jamaica. Martin Henry's commentary (May 3) sums up the "decay" of Falmouth. Perhaps the book will shed some light on the life that still is very robust, compared to some more affluent, socially anaesthesised areas.

In defence of my birthplace, I can tell the people of Falmouth of now or years past that Falmouth is not a dilapidated, ruined town. Those who view wealth, success and prosperity as only fine buildings are ignorant of the depth and breadth of the people. A people are rundown and ruined when they don't know their neighbours, cannot depend on a single one of them, do not talk to them or hide from them.

It is a fact that buildings need to be restored in Falmouth as useful places for activities for the town's people and not merely set up as gift shops and museums. The courthouse needs restoration to be used as a courthouse as it was intended. More people should pay attention to who goes to court and who goes to jail, as injustice is not something to be tucked away in a corner.

Fenced from citizens

The seaside should not be fenced from the citizens of the town. Reasonable access to the seas and rivers is the birthright of every Jamaican and the restriction of it is like grand theft.

Of a more critical nature is the new spirit of greed that has crept into Falmouth. Some newcomers are unfamiliar with our traditions and our lifestyle. They are simply around to make money. The challenge for the indigenous population is to know how to meet this spirit, or risk being washed out.

Though Falmouth has changed since I was a child, much has remained the same. Whatever glory it had between the harsh days of slavery and the days when my great- and great-great-grandparents were there is still found in the hearts of people.

More to be watchful of is the ultra modernisation that is taking place that will not only change the structure of the town, but mayaffect the character of life. It is easy for a person "passing through" to look at buildings and say this is a town in ruins because that is what they see: the physical appearance. But, has anyone "touched" them? If you have not been "touched," how do you really know?

Falmouth stroll

Nothing is more thrilling to me than to take a visitor on a nostalgic stroll through Falmouth and say: This is where I went to kindergarten (the now almost non-existent Barrett House), or on another corner: this is where I went to music class. On a walk down Duke Street, I say: This is where I was born. It is in Falmouth that I experienced true freedom. When the church doors were open all day long, I could choose to enter the church at any time of day. As things "progressed," the church doors had to be locked. Still, a sense of that freedom exists.

My rolling memory video of events taking place in Falmouth, with almost every face a familiar one, serves to enhance my own tale of Falmouth. Some people who left Falmouth would never go back, but I must go back as often as I can. Falmouth holds my lifeblood. It energises, inspires and oxygenates me. On a recent visit to Falmouth, I engaged the help of friends to cut down the overgrown bush from the graves in the Jewish cemetery in search of family history. One thing led to another and another and out of that, accidentally or divinely, came a wealth of information about my ancestors, representing research that would cost quite a lot.

How many people would like to enjoy this wealth? So, even in my absence, Falmouth continues to heap glory on me improvements are good, almost all of them come with one drawback or another: a toll, a tax, a fine or an entrance fee.

I am, etc.,

A.M. TONSINGH

stop1998@aol.com

Via Go-Jamaica