‘She was always bright’ - Tydixon reflects on Fayval Williams’ youthful days

When Finance Minister Fayval Williams made history last Tuesday by opening the 2025-26 Budget Debate as Jamaica's first female finance minister, she took a heartfelt trip down memory lane. Reflecting on her formative years in the quiet community of Tydixon, northwest St Catherine, Williams credited the rural village for shaping her journey. Her words sparked warm memories among locals, who remember her as a bright, soft-spoken young woman deeply rooted in the values of community and resilience.

Situated some seven miles from Lluidas Vale, Tydixon is a predominantly agriculture community, and a place where traditions endure and every corner holds a story of days gone by. In her youth, Williams, then known as Fayval Johnson, attended Tydixon All-Age, now Tydixon Primary and Infant School, and absorbed the values of the Tydixon Seventh-day Baptist Church, where her father served as a deacon.

Residents like 69-year-old Charles Wilks, a lifelong resident of Tydixon, and one of Williams' former classmates, remember her fondly.

"Our teacher was Mr Hinds... she really was a bright student in school from those days, coming up, so I am happy to see that she is the first female finance minister in our country. Mi really glad fi see seh she come this far," he told THE STAR.

Memories of Williams are interwoven with cherished community landmarks. Locals recall her parents, the Johnsons, and the legacy of her grandparents' bakery.

"She used to walk from her house, the one in front of the post office, to school every day," said Charles Wilks. Pointing to the Baptist church, he added, "That's the church where she used to guh and her mother sell potato pudding, toto and drops treats under di tree."

At her former school, where Williams' photo still graces the walls as a symbol of academic excellence, teacher Tashaniea Williams recalled, "I was small back then, so I wasn't one of those who can say we grew up together, it was mostly my sisters who could attest to that. She wasn't a troublemaker; she was a humble girl. I even remember she was at my aunt's funeral."

Her aunt, Etlin Walker, with whom Williams had a close relationship, passed last September. These recollections reinforce her deep-rooted connection to Tydixon, even though she left the community during her youth.

Former classmates Landel Sharpe and his brother Derrick Henry also recalled their schooldays. Henry recalled jokingly, "Mi always trouble her inna school. She did always respectful."

Sharpe remembered that "she stayed indoors more and went to church", a recollection that is in line with Williams' utterance in Parliament last Tuesday.

She told Parliament that "there was absolutely no story that I and my brothers and sisters could concoct and tell our parents that would cause them to say, 'OK, nuh bother go a church today.' Even if we had to go to church on a stretcher, we had to go! Thank you, Tydixon Seventh-day Baptist Church for instilling lessons that continue to shape my character and guide my footsteps," the minister said.

Despite these cherished memories and enduring traditions, the community quietly longs for Williams to return and help move it forward.

"She shoulda really uplift the community. We welcome her back to Tydixon," said Wilks, capturing the collective desire to see her reconnect with her roots.