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

Appendix 2: Sporting Achievements of Staff 289 OCTAVIA GIBSON: Competitor and Administrator Octavia Gibson was involved with netball from the time she was a young schoolgirl at Queen’s College. She represented her alma mater at the sport and then went on to play for several local club teams. She was one of the founding members of the BRCWelch Rovers Club and coached the team in its formative years. During and after her schooldays, Octavia was called to netball trials for possible selection to the national team on many occasions but never gained a place. She also represented Queen’s College in track and field and cricket and was the school’s table tennis captain. Her interest in sporting activities was maintained after she joined the Bank in 1975. She started to conduct physical education classes for the staff and represented the Bank in netball, basketball and table tennis during the Staff Association’s first sports tour to Trinidad and Tobago in 1978, as well as during the domestic inter-bank competition. She was named “Most Valuable Player” in the competition on several occasions. When her playing days ended, Octavia turned her attention to sports administration. Between 2005 and 2008, she coached and managed a men’s basketball team from St. Philip and assisted with the running of the St. Philip Independence Basketball competition. Octavia was president of the Barbados Netball Association from 2006 to 2010. Between 2006 and 2008, she also served on the Board of the National Sports Council, where she sat on a committee responsible for establishing academies of sport. In 2007, Octavia was elected as the representative for the Americas region on the International Netball Federation (INF) and served two four-year terms as a director on its Board. While on the INF Board she served on several sub-committees, including that for evaluating members of the coaching and umpiring panels, and on juries of appeal at several world championships. 1n 2010, Octavia became the secretary of the Americas Federation of Netball Associations (AFNA), a position she held until 2014. She played a vital role in the revision of the AFNA constitution, the development of a regional strategic plan and the establishment of the Coaching Committee and coaching and umpiring workshops in the region. She also coached the Bank’s netball team in 2011 and 2012.