By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
EVAN CHEN-Lyn, Councillor for the Maggotty division of the St. Elizabeth Parish Council, is appealing for assistance from the public in relocating a senior citizen to a comfortable place of abode.
Edward Baker, otherwise known as "Eddie", is 61 years old and he has been living in the Maggoty Market under deplorable conditions for the past 15 years.
"It is only right to get him out of there," Councilor Chen-Lyn told The Gleaner on Tuesday.
LONG NIGHTMARE
Mr. Baker's long nightmare began just after Hurricane Gilbert ravaged the island in 1988. Before the storm he lived in a comfortable house close to the Maggoty River. However, all that changed as the river burst its bank during the storm and swept away his house. Lucky to be alive, Mr. Baker was desperate to find a place to live.
"Most of my relatives live in St. Ann," he told The Gleaner yesterday. "But I have an uncle in Maggotty who told me to help him build a house and I would live with him."
Mr. Baker agreed and used all his savings towards constructing the new house. However, things soon turned ugly between the two relatives. "After the house done now, he come one night and box me inna me face and me eyes for no reason," he recalled.
"I did not want to get into any trouble, so I left the house," he stated.
Broke and with no where else to live he moved into the market and has been living there ever since. He described his living conditions as "terrible". "It is uncomfortable here but what else can I do," he said in a breaking voice.
He said his strategy for surviving is keeping to himself and 'not looking for trouble.'
Councilor Chen-Lyn said since she was elected six months ago she had made it a priority to assist the old man. She said she has written to Food for the Poor and is still awaiting a response. "Any help will go a long way," she said.
