Tribute for voluntary worker - Uel Adair MBE

His MBE is in recognition for his services to the finance industry.

"I had received notification that my name could be put forward for this, but that was some time ago. It left me feeling very humbled whenever I was told why I was being put through and what it was for, and that was for my work with the Credit Union and I think that at the time I was humbled because there is a hell of a lot of people who do a lot of work for the Credit Union movement and the fact that I should be chosen to get this at this particular time was...I can't really put into words how it made me feel," he said.

Mr Adair said that given the current state of the economy the Credit Union movement played a massive role in trying to do two things: it gives people the dignity of being able to go into a shop with money and they are not charged exorbitant rates for it and there are no fees.

"I think that people in the Credit Union movement put money into this town. In this town alone over a particular year, the Credit Union has put into Derry 20million to 25million. People aren't just putting money into the Credit Union, they are putting it into the economy.

"I have been associated with the Credit Union since 1974, and I have had the privilege of being the President of the Credit Union movement, ending my term of office in May of 2009.

"The work for the Credit Union is all voluntary, and I have been associated with it for all this time because I feel I am putting something back into the community in which I live, and I get satisfaction at times like Christmas when you see people come up to you and say they appreciate the work that we did. I think the fact that you are putting something back into the community in which you live. I was a Trades Union official for 30 years and for me the two go hand-in-hand.

"I am only a small cog in a big wheel. It is very much a team effort and I think the honour is more for the Credit Union than it is for me myself. I think the fact the Credit Union has been acknowledged is a great honour for the Credit Union," he said, adding: "I would like to pay tribute to all voluntary workers and to all the voluntary directors in the Credit Union. In Ireland you are talking in terms of 9,500 of them, all giving voluntarily of their time. In my own Credit Union in the Waterside, there are 13 colleagues, who over the years have given tremendous service to the movement."

After a moment of reflection he adds, laughing: "I was actually asked back in 1974 if I would go on the Board of Waterside, and it is like something that gets into the blood."