What over the years, has been loosely described as the post-bauxite economic circumstances of the township of Linden are still very much evident today. This phenomenon is manifested chiefly in patent evidence of high unemployment and a threadbare business community that persists against formidable odds, to keep its head above water.
What also remains noticeable about Linden, is its refusal to wilt in the face of its protracted crisis, a semblance of normalcy manifested mainly in the community’s historical propensity for producing fertile minds. An appreciable number of Lindeners continue to pay tribute to the various types of contributions which the community continues to receive from “our people in the diaspora” and against the backdrop of a crisis that is still very much in evidence, the fragile business community continues to find creative ways of weathering the storm.
Thirty-three year old Hilton Lyle is one of those Lindeners who simply refuses to give up on his community. He simultaneously operates three separate enterprises – Foreign Links Auto Parts and Accessories, Foreign Links Motor Cycle and Spare Parts and Tropical Reflection Restaurant and Bar – all high-risk ventures in a community where spending power has long been a victim of high unemployment.