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

258 1997 In June 1997 the International Symposium on Forecasting was co-hosted by the Bank. It was the first time this event was held in a tropical country. The Bank acted as registrar for the issue of a $30 million National Housing Corporation Housing Development Bond. For the second year running the Bank realised a profit of about $13.5 million. 1998 On March 9, Prime Ministers Owen Arthur of Barbados and Kenny Anthony of St. Lucia attended a lunch held by the Soroptimist Club of Barbados in the Bank’s Dining Room. A competition was held among staff to design Christmas cards for the Bank. The 1st prize ($1,500) was won by a team comprising Peter Rochester, Angela Smith-Callender, Deveda Deane and Yvonne Parris. The inter-bank calypso competition took place on April 4. Adrian “Boo” Husbands (Barclays Bank) won the 1st prize, with staff members Tony “De Gun” Cadogan and Sheila Legall coming 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The Bank's Year 2000 Awareness Programme was launched in August. It featured, a millennium countdown clock on CBC-TV, public announcements on radio stations, ads in the daily newspapers and a series of lectures, panel discussions and workshops co-sponsored by the Bank. Portraits of former governors Sir Courtney Blackman, Dr. Kurleigh King and Calvin Springer were unveiled in the annexe to the Board Room. Dr. Courtney Blackman was knighted in the Independence Honours.