more on Cus by Brenda

Cus was actually born on Queensbury when the Estate belonged to the Hazell Family, prior to John Punnett buying it around 1930. Her father, Da Da, was a "gang driver" on the estate for several years. Cus told me that the gangs varied in sizes between 15 and 30 laborers. There were women gangs, men gangs , youth gangs and individual crop gangs. Each estate had approximately 8 gangs and they were interchangeable amongst the Leeward Punnett Estates, depending on the work requirements. In other words, if Peniston had no pressing work at the time and Queensbury, Pembroke or Cane Grove were very busy, then gangs would move in to assist.

She enjoyed relating stories of her father to anyone who listened. He was a sociable and wise man who never lacked visitors, especially when his "keeper", Lena died He dispensed his bush remedies, only after they had been sampled by his household. Cus and her younger brother , Jackie, followed in their father's footsteps and brewed these remedies into their old age. One day, Da Da had an altercation with the overseer, Campbell, who accused him of stealing sweet potatoes. This led to a 21 days' stay in prison and to the end of living and working at Queensbury. He moved his house and family to Chigger Ridge, not too far away.

When "Mas John", as he was called bought Queensbury, Cus was about 18 years old. She told me that her favourite job was digging copra from the coconut shells - 1000 shells per day for 12 cents. This was used to feed the pigs. Cus and the other labourers remained on Queensbury. Cus was chosen to be the cook at the Manager's House when Chris, John's youngest son moved there in 1941. She was a very good cook and everyone enjoyed her dishes. However, after Malcolm's birth, she became the nanny, the kitchen duties were taken over by Adina, Overseer Samuel's sister.

i have digressed - she told me that one of her weekly errands before becoming a house servant was to walk to Rutland Vale Estate, near Layou, where she collected one pound of tobacco from Alex Fraser for his brother in law, John Punnett . This she would wash, hang to dry, then cut up.

She enjoyed "Cocoa Dancing" - the following is her description. In huge trays made from pitch pine, large enough to hold 5 bags of cocoa pods, 12 women danced and sang for about 6 hours, for 2 or 3 days each week. 15 bags were danced upon each day. This tray was called a "dancing tray". After the dancing ended, the pods were put out in the sun to dry for another period, before being ready for bagging and sewing. The Estate had a store room at Buccament Bay where the finished product was stored until the lighters transported it to Kingstown for trans shipment to England. Each of the Punnett Estates owned a lot of land on the beach at Buccament as this was the only means for shipping the produce. From the estates the items were loaded on to carts pulled by oxen. i do remember the Zebu oxen in my early youth.

She also described the "Cocoa Crop Over" when the cocoa preparation had ended. The Estate gave the labourers a daytime party which entailed cooking, dancing, singing and drinking till dusk.

Cuz and Brenda