As a young girl growing up in Jamaica, Nerissa Bell never thought she'd join the throngs who were leaving for Britain at th of the migration rush to the Mother Country.

But, in 1963, faced with a familiar dilemma - poor job prospects, she did. Then came the long years away; she stayed for 36.5 years, working extensively in the health service, before finally returning to the land of her birth. She and her husband Ron settled in South St. Elizabeth, one of the more desirable sections of the island.

Not content with a 'rocking chair style'-retirement, Bell threw herself into community work and social activism through the South St. Elizabeth Returned Residents Group.

Readjusting to Jamaican life and culture proved challenging for Nerissa and her fellow 'returnees', but, undaunted, they have persevered, finding solidarity with each other. Just as importantly, they have found satisfaction in reaching out to others in the local community, doing charity work and organising a neighbourhood watch.

The South St. Elizabeth group was formed because the women in particular felt socially isolated, according to Mrs. Bell. "We could not find anywhere to go and we came back very excited about retiring here. Then when we eventually managed to return we found that some things weren't what we expected. There was nothing for us to do! So, a group of us got together," she explained.

Confidence

That act of solidarity has been a tremendous boost to the morale and confidence of the South St. Elizabeth returnees, Mrs. Bell explained at a recent Gleaner Editors' Forum in Mandeville. They now frequently go to places of interest across the island, literally getting to know a country they knew very little of when they left in their youth.

There are lingering frustrations along the way, however, as the adjustment process continues. Getting used to the ways of too many local builders and tradesmen has not been easy. "You have to be standing over them and getting to learn very quickly how to deal with these things."

Her personal experience was a positive one, however, as she was quick to praise the "very experienced builder" who built her house.

St. Elizabeth, while having nothing near the levels of crime experienced in some other parishes, has seen a recent upsurge. Since the start of the year, there have been 11 murders, contrasted with three for the same period last year. In four of those killings, the gun was the weapon used, while four others were knifings.

Most of the deaths were classi-fied as domestic in nature, and none involved returned residents. These and other incidents have nevertheless shaken the confidence of some members of this community.

"We are very concerned because we do not know whether the person or persons are out there," Mrs. Bell explained at the forum.

Tranquility

Barrington Daley, deputy superintendent of police for the Manchester division, while empathising with the feelings of the St. Elizabeth group, insisted that his colleagues in St. Elizabeth were committed to bringing the situation under control and restoring tranquility and confidence to the residents.

"I can assure you that they are doing everything in their powers to ensure that every case is investigated fully. They recently had two vehicles added to their fleet, which should make a difference," he added.