NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022 4 MORE LOVE INDEPENDENCE BABY WANTS IN THE COUNTRY Paul H. Williams/Gleaner Writer WHEN THE Gleaner team arrived in a yard in Williamsfield, Manchester, searching for Dalton A. Blake, a woman came from the back of a house with her phone. We told her who we were looking for. She said Blake was not around, that she was washing, and Blake was the best person to talk to us about the ramshackle Williamsfield train station. Yet, we didn’t let her go. She was self-conscious about her appearance, but we assured her it was okay. The first question was about what was happening in the community. The blasé response was that she didn’t go on the street much, and that things were going up and down. Obviously, there wasn’t much to write home about, but we wanted a story. She was not born in Williamsfield, but she has been associated with the place for 20 years. Nevertheless, since we are focusing on Jamaica 60, 1962 was mentioned. She paused, and smiled faintly before saying “that’s the year I was born”. Bingo!We had found an Independence baby just like that. Yes, Erica Medley was born seven months before August 1962. Since then, she has morphed into a grandmother. There have been crosses and tribulations along the way. She has seen growth and decline, good and bad, but what she really wants to see is a drop in the crime rate and a rise in the level of youth employment. Unemployment is a contributory factor to crime, she believes. “They don’t have anything to do, so they turn to crime,” she claimed. A revival of the Jamaica Railway Corporation’s passenger service would also be welcome, as Medley said she used to enjoy the rides from Kingston to Montego Bay. She actually met Blake, who was a stationmaster at the time, on a train, she recalled. A romance ensued, as she said he was “very nice”, and “still is nice”. That niceness then is what Medley wants people to emulate. She wants more love in the country, and for the violence to stop in this, our 60th year of independent nationhood. And how is she going to celebrate her ownmajor milestone? She said she has been getting promises, but she is cautious because sometimes promises go unfulfilled. The old train station, in its decrepitude, full-heartedly agreed. JAMAICA AT 60: MANCHESTER Erica Medley who was born in1962, the year Jamaica gained political Independence from Great Britain, found love travelling on the train from Kingston to St James. NATHANIEL STEWART/ PHOTOGRAPHER jamaica at Erica Medley was born seven months before August 1962. Since then, she has morphed into a grandmother. There have been crosses and tribulations along the way. She has seen growth and decline, good and bad, but what she really wants to see is a drop in the crime rate and a rise in the level of youth employment.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUzNTI=