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Louis GirodLouis Girod is referred to as the Godfather of the Credit Union. He is remembered for his straightforward nature and very high moral standards. Mr. Girod left school when he was in form three and started working from the tender age of 16 years. He worked his way from the bottom up and as a result knew everything about the business; he practically gave his whole life to the company. Fr. Girod, the first of his eight children remembers his father cycling down from his Picton Street home to open the store every morning. Louis Girod was a very spiritual person and always sought to understand the plight of his workers. It is in seeing their struggle; he initiated the credit union movement in Canning and Company. Mr. Girod arranged for a study group to be formed for two years and formally established the Canning's Employees' Credit Union in 1952. It is because of Louis Girod's sensitivity to the struggle of his fellow worker Canning's Employees' Credit Union is able to celebrate 50 years of Commitment - a century's worth of service today. |
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Thomas RampersadThomas Rampersad holds a special place in the history of our Canning's Employees' Credit Union. He started of as a delivery boy in 1948 working for Louis Girod, Purchasing Manager for Canning and Company. Mr. Rampersad worked his way up to General Manager- Caribbean Operations-CUNA Mutual Insurance Society. More importantly however, it is because of Thomas's kind heart and the desire in him to help his fellow brother that our credit union is here today. Thomas is one of thirteen siblings and he grew up in Maracas Valley. His formal education ended at 7th standard primary school, but this was not a deterrent for him. By his early twenties he was an ardent Catholic and was heavily influenced by the teachings of the church about the conditions of working people. When Thomas learnt about the credit union movement he made it his vocation. When the opportunity was right he sought to put this concept into practice. Thomas Rampersad is the fellow who put into play the cooperative concept to relieve a young chap named Phenmore Cummings from the clutches of the moneylender. |
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Sheila ChavesMrs. Sheila Chaves had been with Canning and Company since 1949. Sheila started off in the Accounts department in Canning and Co. and worked her way up to Personnel Assistant, a position she held until retirement. Sheila holds a wealth of information about every employee who passed through Hilo Food Stores and to this day still serves as the Assistant Secretary on the Credit Union's Board of Directors. A foundation member of the organization, she recalls that a friend told her about plans to form a Credit Union and got her interested in joining it. "She told me that I could save as little as 25 cents a week and that I would be eligible for loans." |
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Johnny Chong SingJohnny Chong Sing started with Canning and Company in 1956 as an Accounts Clerk and was promoted to Systems Analyst in the computer department in the late 1950's. Johnny remembers that at the start of the credit union a manual system was used to record all savings from members in a copybook. The Board at the time saw the need to improve this method of recording and Johnny came up with a ledger card system (still in existence today), this worked for a while but this too became very cumbersome because the membership was growing rapidly and a decision was made to computerize the system. Johnny was called upon to design this system. He is still a very active member of the credit union, he believes that the success of the credit union is due to the interaction of all managers in credit union activities. |
About CECU
