Robert Lalah, Assistant Editor-Features

Boysie Munroe and his trusted donkey, Willie. - photo by Robert Lalah

While travelling up Washington Boulevard in St Andrew, Boysie Munroe realises he's blown a tyre and slowly pulls into the nearest gas station. Now normally, this kind of thing is pretty much run-of-the-mill, but when you're rolling along on a five-foot donkey cart, being pulled by a tired-looking donkey called Willie, you tend to get more attention than you might have wanted.

A group of schoolboys standing nearby can't help but snicker as they watch him bargain with the attendants to get the wheel patched. But for Boysie, this is nothing new, so he takes it all in stride and quickly gets the tyre back in running order and is on his way once more.

Boysie is one of a dwindling number of donkey cart owners still operating in Kingston. "Nobody nuh have dem tings here again, especially inna Kingston. Yuh haffi go inna di country fi see dem. But dis is how I meck my money all my life," Boysie said.

The 77-year-old spends his days riding around Kingston and St Andrew, stopping at random homes, seeking work. Boysie uses his cart to take garbage from people's homes that the rubbish trucks won't collect.

Riverton landfill

"Things like old fridge and fan and dry leaf and dem things," he said. When he collects them, he takes them to the Riverton landfill and discards them, the journey sometimes taking hours. "Yes man, it takes long. Sometimes I ride up into di hills and by the time I reach Riverton, is night. Is a good thing mi have mi headlight dem," he joked, pointing to the reflectors on the cart. Boysie makes up to $1500 per trip and says he is having the time of his life.

Sell coconut

"Mi used to ride around and sell coconut but everybody start sell coconut now, so tings get slow. Is about five years now mi start collect rubbish. Like how di storm just blow, mi get a lot of work now, so mi alright, mi like di work yah man," he chuckled.

Boysie has three sons who have been begging him to hang his hat up and take it easy, but the feisty old man will have none of it.

"Dem say dem will take care a mi, but mi can't just siddung. Mi and mi likkle donkey alright. When mi get too old mi will stop, but for now, mi a gwaan same way," he said, with a smile.