St Lawrence is in the Parika, East Bank Essequibo area, between Present Hope and Hubu and opposite Hog Island.
The villagers depend mainly on farming for their livelihoods. It was early morning when I visited, but everyone was out and about. Farmers, shopkeepers, boat captains, the pump attendants at the gas station, drivers, the popsicle and hotdog sellers, porters, labourers and security guards, everyone was busy. I was told that at one point, men in the community worked at the sawmills but once they realised that they had more time for themselves with farming, they went back to the land. They plant mainly ground provisions, though there are two farmers who have gone into fruits and coconuts.
Farmers make their way to and from the backdams using the main canal that separates St Lawrence from Hubu. The drain was dug in 1953 through the Boerasirie Extension Project. St Lawrence begins from the Hubu Koker. The port at the koker was established during the contraband days and was constructed to allow the landing of contraband goods. At the koker on St Lawrence’s side, a porter fetched soft drinks and other goods from a Canter and handed them to a man in a boat. The goods were being taken to a village called Lanaballi. Nearby, families sat under a shed near a shop waiting for boats to take them to their respective destinations: Hog Island, Fort Island, Lanaballi, Morasi, Saxacalli and Bonasika Creek.
