Both Sides of The Coin: The Story of The Central Bank of Barbados 1972-2017

167 in the Bank. It organised educational activities, fund-raising events, hikes, social gatherings (including karaoke sessions), dance classes, staff concerts and community activities. During 1988, the Club inaugurated the annual exhibition of arts and craft produced by the staff. The Sports and Cultural Club revived interest in social exchanges between regional central banks, in particular the biennial Inter-Bank Games. Financing for this event came from the Bank’s Staff Welfare Fund but the Club also raised some resources of its own. In 1997, for the first time, the Bank hosted the Games (the second edition) which were won by the Bank of Jamaica. Over the years the Bank’s performance at this event has shown some improvement, but it has never won the tournament. During the 1990s, interest in the Club was affected by dissatisfaction with salary negotiations and job mobility as well as other human resource matters and it never really regained its early popularity. Elected officials often became disenchanted and the presidency changed hands frequently. After 2000, few individuals were willing to lead and incumbent presidents held office for extended periods, often in the interest of the Club’s survival. With the passage of time the Club’s major undertaking was the planning and execution of the Bank’s participation in the Inter-Bank Games. Left to right: Ron Prescod (first president of the Union Division), Noreen Trent (major contributor to the staff ’s social activities), Anthony Cadogan (avid sportsman and first interim president of the Sports and Cultural Club) and Janice Marshall (first elected president of the Sports and Cultural Club). Chapter 5: Some Notable Developments