MARIE-THERESE Augusta Payne, retired deputy managing director of the National Commercial Bank, was, on January 19, remembered for her contribution to the development in the banking sector and the women’s movement in Jamaica in the late 20th century.

In offering the sole remembrance at the thanksgiving service held at Sts Peter & Paul Church, located off Old Hope Road in Kingston, Angela Beckford, daughter of the deceased, recalled her mother as one of the leaders who paved the way for women to progress in Jamaica, when she was employed by Barclays Bank.

“In 1978, when Barclays Bank was nationalised by the Jamaican Government, Mummy was appointed to the second highest position in the bank — deputy managing director,” Beckford said.

“She was the first female in Barclays Bank International to be appointed managing director’s assistant. Her sharp and analytical mind brought her much success and she was promoted through the ranks. She was instrumental in ensuring equity for women within NCB and led the development of an after-care/nursery — The Augusta Payne House,” she added.

As a consummate banker, Beckford said many recalled that her mother could analyse business plans and financial statements quickly. She also said her mother was also able to quickly identify strong and weak areas. Additionally, she was able to make crucial decisions as to which project and business loans were worth processing for profit generation at the bank.

It was for these reasons and more, her mother was given the opportunity to advance into positions which were traditionally dominated by men in the financial sector.

In addition to her regular bank duties at the largest indigenous bank then, Payne served on several boards, such as The Gleaner Company and Jamaica Producers Group, before her retirement.

According to Beckford, her 84-year-old mother, who was diagnosed with alzhiemers disease, was also a remarkable woman who worked hard to provide shelter, food and other needed necessities for her family.

“You would think to achieve as much as she did she would be working all the time — family life and friendships would suffer. She got home by 6:00 pm every workday and would rarely if ever take work home,” she said as she recounted episodes in her mother’s life.

“Mommy was always there for her family. When my father attended Cornell University soon after their marriage, there wasn’t enough money, so, instead of holding on to the fact that she was the daughter of a judge, she rolled up her sleeves and took jobs as a domestic servant,” she said.

“When my father couldn’t attend classes because he was working, she went to them and took notes. Imagine my mother, who had never attended university, sitting in a postgraduate master’s degree programme taking notes. My father used to boast that my mother’s notes were so good, he could study from them and pass any test,” Beckford said.

According to Beckford, Payne’s first stint in the financial sector occurred when her husband became ill.

“When my father became ill, she again put her shoulder to the wheel and buckled down at Barclays Bank,” she said.

Beckford further stated that education was paramount amongst the priorities Payne had set for her children.

“She was at every ballet practice and dance rehearsal. I can remember vividly Mummy sitting at the back of the ballet class, chatting with the other dance mothers about every day matters while sewing her tapestries. One would never know that such a powerful individual sat among them,” Beckford said.

In addition to her career and family life, Payne, who was of strong Catholic Christian faith, served as a lector and a Sunday School teacher at Sts Peter & Paul Catholic Church and headed the Catholic Women’s League at the church for several years.

And despite her immense contribution to Jamaica’s banking sector, Payne was Dominican.

She was born on the 28th August 1928 in Roseau, Dominica, on the feast of St Augustine (the saint from whom she got her name) to parents Alexander and Sybil Cools-Lartigue.

During her childhood, she spent time in Dominica, St Vincent, Grenada, and St Lucia, “because her father worked for the British Government as Attorney General, and was transferred between the islands with his family”. In 1953, the family settled in Jamaica when her father was appointed as a Puisne/Supreme Court Judge.

She died on January 9. Cremation will occur at a later date.

She leaves behind her children, Alison Martin, Solange Fielding, Martin Payne, and Angela Beckford, sisters, Angela, Rosamund, and Celia and seven grandchildren.