The St Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC), through its LUCELEC Trust Company, has donated three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) to the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC).

The money is to assist the College with the redesign and refurbishment of its Electronics Workshop.  The plan is to improve the existing layout of the workshop to create an environment more conducive to teaching and learning, and to get new equipment to facilitate the introduction and delivery of a wider range of courses in Electronics and Electrical Technology.

The improvements are expected to help the College meet requirements for accreditation of the department by achieving and maintaining approved standards and attaining matriculation requirements with other institutions of higher learning.

In presenting the cheque to the College LUCELEC’s Managing Director Trevor Louisy said the goals of the project were “consistent with the Company’s philosophy of placing a high value on education, training and excellence”. 

Chairman of the Board of Governors of the SALCC Fortuna Anthony, in receiving the donation, described LUCELEC as a “socially responsible” corporation evidenced by its consistent and tangible support for the College and the education sector over the years. 

Her sentiments were echoed by the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Human Resource Development and Labour, Eustace Monrose.  He said the donation will assist the Ministry in working towards one of its key strategic priorities, “developing the technological competencies of learners” and in “meeting the demands of the labour market”.

Upon completion of the project, the new workshop will be called the LUCELEC Electronics Workshop in honour of Bernard C. Theobalds & Joel Huggins, two stalwarts of the electricity industry in St. Lucia and the Caribbean.  A plaque and citation with appropriate inscriptions detailing the respective contributions of Mr. Theobalds and Mr. Huggins to the development of LUCELEC and the electricity sector in St. Lucia and the Caribbean will be mounted at the entrance to the workshop.

Mr. Louisy expects that “these citations will serve as inspiration to the many aspiring young men and women who will come through the walls of the Electronics Workshop on their way to fulfilling their dreams in their respective chosen fields.”

Bernard Theobalds is an Engineer and former Managing Director of LUCELEC.  He literally built LUCELEC, nursing it through its early years of trials and struggles.  Much, if not all, of the foundation of the electricity infrastructure that St. Lucia enjoys today can be credited to the vision, leadership and perseverance that characterised Mr. Theobalds’ tenure at LUCELEC.

Joel Huggins was also an Engineer and a former Director of LUCELEC who passed away in November 2008.  A Vincentian by birth, Joel Huggins served on the LUCELEC Board of Directors representing the Commonwealth Development Corporation between 1996 and 2000 and then again, representing minority shareholder interests from January 2005 until his death.  

Both Mr. Theobalds and Mr. Huggins were founding members of the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) and were instrumental in the establishment of the CARILEC office in St. Lucia in 1990.  They both served on the Board of Directors of CARILEC for approximately 14 years, and both worked in the electric utilities in Montserrat and Dominica in various capacities including as Chief Engineer, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer.   

They both had a passion for the electric utility industry, a commitment to hard work and excellence, and placed a high value on education and training.  Their management styles were characterised by opportunities for young talent to grow and develop under their mentorship, and the setting of extremely high standards of performance.

Mr. Theobalds and the widow of Joel Huggins, Mrs Clydella Huggins, were guests of honour at the cheque presentation ceremony.