CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS (February 1, 2022) — The Nevis Co-operative Credit Union (NCCU) Limited, the oldest credit union in the Federation, has launched a calendar of year-long celebratory activities to mark the institution’s 50th anniversary, having been registered on July 25, 1972. NCCU President Mrs Vernesia Walters said at the launch ceremony on Monday January 31: “It is a time when we cast our gaze at the birth, growth, development and maturity of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited and its impact over the past 50 years on the lives of our members and their families.”
General Manager Mr. Sydney Newton noted that the first credit union on Nevis commenced operations in 1965 under the stewardship of the late Mr Wilbert Edmund Ingle Blackett, pioneer of co-operativism in the then British colony of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla. The institution was originally intended solely for Civil Service employees, but in 1972 opened its ‘bond’ to all Nevis residents and was registered as the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited. Over the first seven years, including the difficult period following the MV Christena Disaster of 1970, pioneers endured struggles to sell the co-operative idea to get acceptance and support.
The 50th Anniversary Celebrations slogan — ‘Consistency, Financial Security & Serving the Community: 50 Years of Development and Prosperity’ — was submitted by Internal Auditor Ms Zahvelisia Claxton. The year-long calendar of events includes distribution of care packages, commemorative documentaries on pioneers, a worship service in July, essay and quiz competitions for secondary and primary school students, and a staff awards/gala in November/December.