Paul Williams, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Cottage for sale.

If you happened to find yourself in a certain village in southern St. Ann, near the border with northern Clarendon, you will experience déjà vu, swearing that you have been there before. But, you haven't. You have been watching too many Western movies.

In Western movies, a typical scene is that of an old abandoned town, with tumbleweed rolling along a deserted street. And, at Borobridge, the main street through the village square is deserted except for empty juice bags fluttering along in the cool St. Ann breeze.

This is in contrast to what the village used to be. It was once a very lively and busy place, where people from Manchester, St. Ann, Clarendon, and even St. Elizabeth converged in great numbers especially, on Saturdays. Its grand market used to rival that of Spaldings' and Mandeville's. Business was so good that shop operators would journey to Kingston at least three times a week to get supplies.

Kaye Nevers gesticulates as he laments the harsh and challenging situations that farmers in Morgan's Hill and Borobridge have to face.

All that industry is now gone, and as some of the residents put it: Borobridge is disappearing from the face of the planet. People have moved out of the village, and houses have been abandoned. Most of the shops closed; the stock in those that remain is minimal. Where the market used to be is a garage. The square is no longer a passenger terminal; it's a drive-through.

Diana Daley, a 19-year-old mother, in looking around as she spoke with The Sunday Gleaner, said: "Everybody is gone, just a few young persons, everybody is gone somewhere to find enjoyment or such ... The lickle shop deh deh, how much person yuh see go in dey ... one, two, three ... How much person yuh see come out with a good parcel than me with de lickle soap ... and de lickle bag juice."

At night, the villagers go to bed at six and the dogs go to sleep at 6:30. Don't even call it a ghost town because even the duppies seem to have left.

Borobridge's demise started in 1994, according to the villagers, when a very famous bakery that supplied bread to the region burned down. This bakery was the pulling factor as people would flock to it from miles around to get their week's supply of bread. Thus, the shops in the village square did brisk business.

Remnants

Quite a few businesses have since occupied the property where the bakery used to be. Others - a cook shop, beauty salon, game shop, rum bar, meat shop, etc. - have been set up, but they all perished. Even the dancers at a downstair go-go club left because there were not many men to see them as they slide down bamboo poles.

But, long before the bakery was destroyed, something else in Borobridge had disappeared: the bridge that connected Borobridge with Morgan's Hill. In 1966, according to residents, the bridge collapsed into the river and was never rebuilt. The remnants, images of a forlorn place, are still standing on either side of the river, the main source of water for residents in both communities. But, even the waters of the river are receding, and the fishes within are getting smaller and fewer.

Borobridge has fallen down!

Kaye 'Bigga' Nevers, a farmer of Morgan's Hill, is hopping mad; see him gesticulate with his sharp machete. He demanded money to buy fertiliser before the interview was granted, but burst out laughing when his bank account number was requested. He recited a litany of woes, graphically describing the travails of the people of Morgan's Hill and the plight of farmers who have no ready market for their produce.

Nevers' greatest needs are fertiliser, better roads, piped water, and a new bridge. He berated the political representatives for the area for their outright disregard for the residents' needs, especially jobs. He had strong words for them: "The Government and the MPs, the Member of Parliament who response fi these community, them must see to it that the people them have road and nuh only when time voting time come them must come talk bout them want fi build road ... And if we country people start demonstrate it going to be tough, enuh."

The people of Borobridge are calling for investors and the Government to inject some lifeblood into the empty arteries of this dying village, so that it can rise again. This seems to be the wish of the children of Borobridge, who agree that the village is plain boring.

Savon, a 10-year-old boy, in explaining the boredom said: "The people in Borobridge talk too much ... and it don't have any business like the supermarket." He wants his community to be lively again in that "people come and open up business". His ambition is to be a singer because "(singing) is more important to me".

Shocking

In response to a request, from The Sunday Gleaner, to sing a 'chune', Savon took some time to get the lyrics right, but when he finally did, what came out of his young mouth was shocking. He sang: "One sunny morning, mi lie dung pon mi bed with mi radio pan mi head/ Mi hear a newscast sey Mass Errol dead / Mi go under mi bed fi get mi M16 / Call London fi guh bust two shot / People dem a run pan building top ..." And it got more violent and unprintable. You would not want to know what he did to his granny.

Bobby-Ann, a second-form student at Edwin Allen High School, wants to become a teacher "to help students who are down to get things in their head". However, by the time she is qualified and ready, there might not be any children. For the children too are disappearing; not many of them are left in the village.

Another boy, Bobby, 12, made it clear that he didn't like living in Borobridge "because there is no younger children living in this community; it disappearing". Like Bobby-Ann, he doesn't think he will stay in Borobridge after leaving high school.

So, while they wait for business and liveliness to return, the children at Borobridge will continue to spend their days by the Cave River, bathing, frolicking and singing nonsense lyrics, as Bobby, who claimed to be a singer himself, did: Forty days and 40 nights, 40 dumpling catch a fight / Fish come in an' sey dat nuh right / Dog come in an' tek a bite / Who fi dead. Two fish head / Who fi bury? Two naseberry / Who go a jail? Two dog tail / Who are the doctor? Two helicopter / Who are the nurse? Two white hearse / Who are the tief? Two bully beef.

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