The story of the JTA Co-op Credit Union began in 1959, when at a Jamaica Union of Teachers meeting a resolution was passed by Mr. W. S. A. Johnson, a teacher at the Wait-A Bit School in Trelawny to establish a Credit Union for teachers. The motion was seconded by Mr. D. C. Gascoigne, a teacher at Kings All Age School in
Westmoreland. The Credit Union was brought into being as a central unit designed to meet the financial needs of all teachers.
In July of that same year, the Credit Union began preliminary operations, and in October of that same year, the Jamaica Teachers’ Co-operative Credit Union Limited was registered as a Credit Union under the Co-operative Society Act.
The Credit Union began operations with only 167 members and a share capital of £2,000. The JTACCUL grew rapidly and by 1960, the membership increased to over 1000 and the share capital to £52,000.
After the establishment of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association in 1964 the Credit Union joined forces with the association and deepened/strengthened its reach to serve Jamaica ‘s teachers. The name of the organization was changed to reflect the new relationship with the JTA.
Our Trail Blazers
Mr. Desmond C. Gascoigne the first President of the Credit Union and served in a number of roles on the Board of Directors for 28 years. He then moved on to become the General Manager in April 1977.
The late Isaac S. W. Henry became the President following Mr Gascoigne and then the late Rev. U. C. Wolfe, W. Titus and R. K. Ellis all followed Mr. Henry. The late Dr. Dorothy Raymond is the first and only female to be elected to the position of President of the Board of Directors a post she held until her death. The current President of the JTA Co-op Credit Union is Mr. Paul Patrick Adams.
