|
 The Merseyside St. Lucian Association as it is called today,
was originally named ‘The Liverpool St. Lucian Association’. The group
was formally constituted on 23rd August 1970, following its
affiliation with the ‘St. Lucia Christmas Club’, which originated in
London in the early 1960’s.
The following members
(past and present), were instrumental in the Association’s formation
and subsequent development and some played pivotal roles in its
achievements.
| Mr
George Charlery BEM |
Mr
Peter Charlery (Chairman) |
| Mr
Louis Williams (Treasurer) |
Mrs
Magdeleine Larrier (Organiser) |
| Mr
Mathias Augustin |
Mr
Cyril Bartlett |
| Mr
James Williams (Deceased) |
Mrs
Cecilia Williams |
| Mr
Clive Flavien |
Mrs
Beatrice St. Rose |
| Mrs
Thelma Ismond |
Mr &
Mrs Eddison Popo |
| Ms
Patricia Charlery |
Mr
Stephen Charlery (Secretary) |
| Mr
Norrel McKenzie |
Mr
Isaac Leon |
| Mr
Embert Forel |
Mr
John Debique |
| Mr &
Mrs Joe Williams (Deceased) |
Mr
John Alexander (Baptiste)
(Deceased) |
| Mr
Norris Johnson |
Mr
Keith Jeremie (Deceased) |
| Mr
Joseph Granger (Reds) |
Mr
George Monrose (Deceased) |
| Mr
Manuel John |
Mr
Cyril Pascal |
| Ms
Sandra St. Rose |
Mr
Harry Leon |
| Mr
Emmanuel Baptiste (Crafton) |
Mr
David Antoine (Deceased) |
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Most of the founding
members of the Merseyside St. Lucian Association arrived in the UK
between the mid 1950s and early 1960s, with many coming from Castries.
When some were asked, “Why go to Liverpool?” several replied that, “the
Harrison Line Shipping Dock in Castries harbour had a ship there with
Liverpool written on it”. One member had obtained work with the
Harrison Shipping Line and this created a wave of optimism that
employment was in plentiful supply in Liverpool.
Most of the men who
emigrated to the UK were skilled tradesmen, mainly joiners and cabinet
makers and some worked at Cammel Laird the ship builders, (which was
located in Birkenhead – Merseyside) for many years. It has often been
said that if those men had pooled their resources together, it could
have resulted in them establishing one of the first major black owned
firms of building contractors in the region.
The Association’s original
aims and objectives were: -
The creation of closer
links among St. Lucian people i.e. people who are St. Lucian by origin,
decent, adoption or marriage and to foster harmonious relationship
between the St. Lucian people, and the people of the United Kingdom.
To provide social
interaction, education, cultural, recreational and entertainment
facilities for its members.
Acquisition and
distribution of information on all aspects of life in St. Lucia.
To receive contributions
e.g. money, donations and grants to be used in the pursuance of its
objects.
The Merseyside St. Lucian
Association is a member of the Merseyside Caribbean Council (MCC),
which was formed in the mid-1960s. The council was originally made up
of five West Indian islands, namely
Barbados, Guyana,
Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, and in later years
Dominica joined the
Council.
The idea of forming the
Caribbean Council originated from the Jamaican Merseyside Association,
when they formally applied to Liverpool City Council for premises to
house Jamaican people. The Jamaican Association was told that if a
building were allocated to their community, then the remaining West
Indian communities would also expect to receive the same privileges.
The Jamaican Association decided to call a meeting for
African-Caribbean and Asian people to agree on forming one main group.
At first, there was little support for this idea, as several of the
groups who attended felt that such a proposal would limit their
independence. However, after a series of meetings agreement was reached
and the Council was formed.
The Centre was built to
the Council’s specifications and it was handed over in October 1977,
with the Right Rev. David Sheppard, the Bishop of Liverpool conducting
the official opening. On 7th October 2002 the MCC
celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a full programme of
events.
George Charlery (a
founding member of the MCC and Merseyside St. Lucian Association)
worked tirelessly with the MCC to achieve this magnificent project for
Merseyside. The Merseyside St. Lucian Association is proud to have on
record their involvement in the achievement of that magnificent
project. Mr Charlery was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1988 for
services to the food industry via his employer Birds Eye Walls Ltd
(Unilever).
As part of the Caribbean
Council, the Merseyside St. Lucian Association also provides its
members and the community with a number of activities including:
The Association has also
successfully held Independence Day Celebration and Fundraising Dances
for the past 23 years. Christmas donations are also given to members
who are pensioners and ad hoc donations are made to charitable causes
in St. Lucia.
The
greatest challenge facing the Association in the future is human
resources and how to continue supporting our ageing community. Many of
the original members of the Association have died, moved to London,
Canada, USA or returned to St. Lucia. There remains a small but
decreasing core of active members. The number of St. Lucian nationals
or descendants of St. Lucian parentage in Liverpool has dwindled over
the past years and this has resulted in a severe shortage of people who
can realistically continue to execute the aims and objectives of the
Merseyside St. Lucian Association.
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