Students Receive Bursaries and Scholarship Valued at $590,000

The Manchester Co-operative Credit Union has awarded bursaries and a scholarship valued at over $590,000, to 10 high school and five tertiary students in the parish.
General Manager of the organisation, Cynthia Briscoe, who gave an overview of the awards at the Bird of Paradise Conference Room, in Mandeville Manchester, recently, said the scholarship was in memory of the Credit Union’s Co-Founder, Sydney Carter, to create leaders and other trained minds, who should lead the process of change and contribute to the development and improvement of communities, and the country.
“In recognition of the significant contribution that Mr. Sydney Carter made to the Credit Union and the nation on a whole, the organisation decided to offer a scholarship in his honour. The purpose of this scholarship is to perpetuate the memory of a great man, and to help in the education of our nation,” Mrs. Briscoe said.
In his address, guest speaker and first recipient of the scholarship, General Manager of the Portland Co-operative Credit Union, Martin Blackwood, said Sydney Carter was a great believer in the principle of economic empowerment and social development of his fellowmen.

Board Secretary of the Manchester Co-operative Credit Union, Claude Rattray (2nd left, back row), with the 2009 winners of Bursaries, and the Sydney Carter Scholarship, at a presentation ceremony, held recently in the Bird of Paradise Conference Room, in Mandeville, Manchester.

“Therefore, the management of the Credit Union must be lauded when it established the Sydney Carter Scholarship Fund and Credit Union Bursary. You have done well and many generations to come will experience and learn of the tremendous contribution that you have made in financing the education of many persons,” he said.
Mr. Blackwood said the recipients of the scholarships and bursaries should be aware that the funds used for this purpose are an investment in human capital, and as such, these persons should ensure that the returns from this investment are at optimum value.
“All the past recipients have an unwritten duty to perform extensively, so that the Credit Union management will perpetually see the scholarship and bursaries as invaluable and critical components of the Credit Union structure,” he argued.
Replying on behalf of this year’s awardees, the 2009 Sydney Carter Scholarship recipient, Nicholas Burrell, said they have so far shown dedication to academic excellence, and that they would continue to work hard and learn from their mistakes.
“This has been a long and arduous journey for all of us, whether it is at the tertiary level or at the primary level. We had to work hard to reach this point. None of us would be here today without the support of our parents and guardians. To the GSAT awardees, I urge you to make the most of this opportunity that has been afforded to you,” he said.