Lloyd Hawkins - Ill Health Has Not Stopped Him

MOOROOKA, Australia – Lloyd Frederick Hawkins, a credit union leader known in the United States from his connections with the Credit Union Executives Society, is not a man who considers retirement or ill health as an excuse to sit in a chair and do nothing. Hawkins’ connections with CUES go back to the 1970s when he promoted membership in Australia after founding the CUES Australian division that quickly grew to 40 members. He also attended eight CUES conferences and made presentations at three. In 1988 he won the CUES Executive of the Year award, the only person living outside the United States to win. If that honor wasn’t enough, in 1989 he was inducted into the USA Credit Union Hall of Fame. His work in Australia has included founding and writing the constitution for the Australian Institute of Credit Union Managers (AICUM) along the same lines as CUES. Today he is still active as a volunteer in AICUM and works with a committee to plan their annual conference, and other events. In his free time he loves growing vegetables in his Brisbane suburban garden, although ill health, emphysema and open heart surgery do slow him down. He needs medical oxygen 24 hours a day. An avid golfer he combines his credit union interests by running an Annual Credit Union Golf Day. It has been so successful, that the next golf day will be the 28th. He is President of Oxley Veterans Golfers Association and has written 37 quarterly newsletters for them. He brags that even with his oxygen he “plays twice a week.” He lives with his wife Pam, who he married 19 years ago. Together they have seven children from previous marriages. All the children, he says, have good jobs and are “married with mortgages”. The couple have 10 grandchildren of school age, that are a source of pride. If that weren’t enough, he formed a Neighbourhood Watch working with the local police on safety issues, although he recently resigned as Area Coordinator after producing 100 monthly newsletters. He still has some strong feelings about credit unions and says the industry “is plagued by legislation compliance that has become extremely onerous for the smaller credit unions.” He cites that as a reason that many smaller credit unions have disappeared because it is too difficult for staff and directors to cope. He has seen credit unions numbers drop from 30 to 12 in his region. However, he also says “the bigger credits unions are coping and growing extremely well.” He fears that the professional managers of today don’t have the appreciation for the heritage of the movement, but says, “Overall credit unions are recognized as an integral part of the financial structure in Australia, more so than ever.” His Curriculum Vitae includes a long-list of awards, but one that reflects his working career, his credit union involvement, his retirement and his life is the Certificate of Recognition from the Federal Government that reads “in recognition of your extraordinary contribution to your community and Australia.” He certainly is not a rocking chair retiree with nothing to do. -