Wallace

The community of Windsor Heights has come a long way since it bore the inauspicious moniker, Sufferers' Heights, at its inception. Ornate concrete structures and paved main roads indicate the transformation from an era when board houses, zinc fences and rocky trails dominated the community.

Initially earmarked as lands for diplomatic residences because of its once idyllic and strategic location in the hills of south central St Catherine, some three miles outside the Old Capital, Spanish Town, and its proximity to Kingston, it was eventually given to migrants from the metropolis who fled urban sprawl and its accompanying social malaise.

Thus began the exodus to the hills. However, the mass migration was not matched by development, and the disorganisation synonymous with urban slums became common in Windsor Heights too. This occurred during the late 1960s through to 1970s. Board houses and zinc fences soon dotted the hills in a haphazard manner, many of which still exist today.

Turnaround

The ramshackle infra-structure is not the only unaesthetic blotch. A dilapi-dated road network and poor access to water and electricity are examples of conditions that stretch back to the '80s.

However, in 1998, things which were on the improve took a more positive turn when residents came together, with the encouragement of Sharon Hay-Webster, their newly elected member of parliament, and they haven't looked back since.

The residents formed the Windsor Heights Combined Citizens' Association, which lassoed several districts into one body. These districts are Zambia, Sam Sharpe Square, Windsor Meadows, Hill-view, China Town and Rockland.

At that meeting, residents forged a 10-year plan which would inspire intense lobbying for better roads, water and electricity. The residents have achieved some of their goals, but are calling on the Government to assist them in their quest for improved living standards.

Fredrick Wallace, president of the citizens' association, is underscoring how far the community has come.

"Coming up here, it was track board house mostly up here, but from the 1980s coming on, the people start to get conscious. We see a lot of developments, a lot of board houses start to put down, a lot of concrete structure start to come up. It was a great improvement (but) we still need more," the resident of 29 years told The Gleaner.

mark.beckford@gleanerjm.com

One of the many gravelly roads in Windsor Heights.

One of the exquisite homes which have helped transform the image of Windsor Heights from the Sufferers' Heights stereotype. - Photos by Mark Beckford