St Thomas teen creates ‘bike-bicycle’

At just 19 years old, Ericsson Edwards could be doing ‘regular’ teenage stuff with his time, but his inner creative genius and his knack for working with anything metal, has made him into the inventor he is today.

Edwards, who hails from Church Street in St Thomas, rode his latest invention, a bike-bicycle he calls ‘Easy Transport’, several miles to THE STAR’s North Street office in Kingston in a bid to garner support for his creations.

He told THE STAR that Easy Transport took him one week to manufacture.

He said: “The reason it tek so long still is because me never have any funding and ting, a from my little savings (I built it). Majority of the parts not new, it kinda rigid. Metal and bolts and dem thing deh mek it up. It consists of an engine, which is made up of a weed whacker and a 11 gear box off a bike. That allows it to go over hills and change gear and dem thing deh, but it still a do weh it fi do and it effective.”

A lover of metal, Edwards is also a past student of the Portmore HEART Academy, where he got certified in welding.

“Mi go HEART, spend 18 months and leave with a Level Three certificate NVQJ ( National Vocational Qualification Jamaica) Certification, but many company weh mi try apply for is like dem nuh see my skills as necessary, so mi kinda do this off my own,” Edwards told THE STAR.

Earn a living

His metal creations, including flower pots, handcarts and jerk pans are what Edwards uses to earn a living.

He said: “Weh me do fi make a living, mi build some metal handcart a St Thomas but the handcart weh me mek, dem mek outta metal. Mi rent dem fi $500 a week and me have five of dem. A suh mi get fi put things together and reach this level. Me see myself can go further but is like no opportunity nuh deh fi me yet. Mi would like if someone can assist me or we work together.”

Edwards was asked how far he thinks his creations could go.

He said: “As far as it can go. To how mi grow, a some small things we see and mi know say bigger and better things out there. A just the support. Mi go school for the welding but the creativity part was always there.”

Edwards also had praises for his mother, who was instrumental in his progress, having shown him how to ‘tun him hand and mek fashion’.

“Going to school, mi bag did tear out. Is a Jansport but the straps dem ruin. My brother had a Wolf Creek bag with good straps and the bag part was ruined. My mother used his strap on my bag and then mi realise say a di small things dem and creativity. I used that bag for two years, then mi other brother come use it,” Edwards told THE STAR.

If anyone would like to assist Edwards’ cause, he can be contacted at 876-412-7981.