The birdmen of Bourda
controlling prized real estate. The row of Samaans along the northern parapet of upper Regent Road was the favoured section since it was much closer to the ground – separated from the action by a trench and with a clear view over the one level stands of the day – as compared to those trees on the Merriman Mall which were more than double the distance away. Prime location was the vantage point in the trees nearest to the sight screen which commanded a line of sight often better than that enjoyed by the radio commentators.
One anecdote from the 1971 Test match between the West Indies and India recounted that a strapping gentleman arrived with a ladder (hitherto unknown) placed it against a favoured tree and declared that it was “a bob” (25 cents) to ascend. Some time after lunch, while everyone was fully engaged with action on the field of play, the budding entrepreneur and his ‘piece of capital equipment’ disappeared, literally and figuratively leaving his clients high and dry.
The most fearless climbers gained access to the much envied eyrie position of each tree, where one was rewarded a spectacular view of the field of play, and the coolest of breezes, amid the ceaseless segueing of the youngest branches. During the 1970s and 1980s, the unofficial title of best climber was claimed by a young man who had suffered from polio as child and was restricted to a wheelchair but often resorted to crawling around – more like scurrying – on his hands and knees (to which were attached custom made leather pads). Blessed with a well defined torso of developed shoulders and powerful arms, which compensated for his shrivelled legs, he could swiftly slither up to the apex of any tree from which he basked in clear views of the city’s tallest edifices of the time, including, St George’s Cathedral, the Bank of Guyana, Stabroek Market and the Pegasus Hotel.
Whilst adding colour to the theatrical production, the birdmen kept the disappointed patrons, curious passersby and the less adventurous standing under the canopies, updated with live commentaries, often sprinkled with vocabulary not conducive for public broadcast on either of the two radio stations of the day, Radio Demerara or the Guyana Broadcasting Service. Venturing up the Samaans came with two potential hazards for the local thrillseekers. The surface area on Regent Road was limited and could not facilitate the development of the extensive root system required to support the trees, and thus, they were somewhat stunted, and susceptible to collapsing under the burden imposed by the birdmen. During the decade preceding the 1974 visit of the MCC, five Samaans had crashed to the ground, injuring birdmen and damaging parked cars on two occasions. Par for the course were birdmen sustaining broken legs and/or arms