COVID heroes: Custodians deserve our gratitude. I know because my dad worked as a cleaner.

Thirty years ago, my dad worked at a sugar plantation in Guyana. In fields once worked by African slaves and indentured Indian laborers, he had risen to become senior manager.

Our Guyanese family lived at a company compound built for British expatriates, with a swimming pool and a tennis court. With the country around us still hung over from colonial rule, we kids thought we had it all.

My dad knew better. He had started work at 14, so he had plenty of experience but not enough school, and he saw how important that missing piece was. He wanted us to be educated overseas.

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