The Silver Townships- La Boca, CZ Part III

Image: An exciting Cricket Match
courtesy: Photobucket images

Present day Zonians know La Boca as a great sports town and it was in its hey-day in the 20′s and 30′s. The East End cricket team, later the La Boca Cricket Club, drew big crowds to their Sunday games and mid-week games were scheduled whenever a British ship came into port.

Both men and women played “rounders,”a sort of ballgame, between their quarters, and the youngsters diverted themselves sliding down Sosa Hill – nowhere near the same shape now as it was then – on palm fronds, or swimming in the sea behind the old Clubhouse. Dominoes, which can be quite an athletic sport when played in La Boca, was an under-the- house past time.

Goats, kept for their milk, wandered through the town and bees from the numerous apiaries – some families had as many as 30 hives behind their quarters – stung unwary passersby. Fishermen, in those “good ole days,” sold their catches, not by the pound but by the string and for as little as 10 to 15 cents a string. Movies cost 5 cents for youngsters in the silent film days.

The war boom almost doubled La Boca’s population. From 3,228 in 1930, the town swelled to 6,076 in 1942. Contract laborers from Colombia, Salvador, Costa Rica, and the West Indies were housed in giant new barracks and fed from central mess halls.

As nearly as possible they were separated by nationalities – Jamaicans in one building, Colombians in another, etc. – but despite this there were international difficulties which flared into frequent disturbances until the men learned to work together and keep their frazzled tempers under control. Sports helped to make them friends – although international rivalry was keen – and the various groups formed football teams which drew crowds of two to three thousand at their matches.

During the hectic World War II period the town’s facilities were strained. A theater was built as an addition to the Clubhouse; the restaurant was enlarged. A library and emergency fire station were built. Town spirit made itself felt in an active Civil Defense group.

After the end of the war the contract laborers went back home and the town returned to normal, except for such flurries of excitement as the Commissary fire in February 1950. An emergency commissary was established in the old restaurant but it was months before the badly-damaged Commissary bulding was repaired and back in operation.

A year ago (1953) La Boca was a community of about 3,000 and its population is still dwindling as its people are moving into newer and more modern quarters in Paraiso. But there are still six churches in the town.

It still has its big Commissary and one of the largest Service Centers – La Bocans still call it a clubhouse – in the Canal Zone. Headquarters for the Balboa Federal Credit Union are in the Service Center building and its auditorium, once the movie hall, is used for public meetings. The building also houses a barber shop, beauty shop, and shoe shop and a small private typing school is operated in its basement.

The Lat-teen Club, a junior organization, is back in the old restaurant building from which it was hastily evicted when its space was needed for the emergency Commissary. This club provides a recreation spot for the senior juniors of the town.

Dominant features of La Boca are the two school buildings. During recess periods, between classes and just before and after school, that end of town is a hub-bub of activity.

Old La Bocans are proud of the fact that their town has not lost its reputation as a “great town for sports.” Cricket is back again and one fan holds that this year’s league is the best yet. There is still football – of the soccer variety – baseball, and softball. Outstanding athletes, like Carlota Gooding who recently won the 100-meter race in the Central American Olympics, and Frank Prince, who won the 800 and 1,500 meter events at the same Olympics, are products of La Boca training.

No story of La Boca, the townspeople say, would be complete without mention of them and the man who trained them and other youngsters – Ashton Parchment, La Boca physical education director.

Our story will continue.