Cliff Jury was Chairman of the Credit Union 1971-1982 and was committed to the “credit union philosophy.”

In later years, Mr Jury said those who helped establish the Credit Union were “well-meaning amateurs” who did not know much about customer owned banking but wanted to achieve cheap and readily available finance for Mount Isa workers.

As the expertise of the directors and managers grew, so too did the organisation.  

Current Chairman Bruno Cullen, who joined Isa Mine Employees Credit Union as a member when it first opened its doors in 1971, said Mr Jury will be remembered with fondness, and his stories will live on in the Credit Union.

“Cliff was the rock the organisation was built on, with great support from Mount Isa Mines”, Mr Cullen said.

“He was rightly so proud of how the Credit Union evolved from a loan of $60,000 from Mount Isa Mines (repaid quickly), to the $2.2 billion organisation it is today.”

Mr Jury told one story of a customer in ‘Credit Where It’s Due’, a history book published by Queensland Country Credit Union.

“This fellow owed money to banks, finance companies and was even borrowing money from his friends. Through the Credit Union he was able to consolidate his debt and schedule his repayments to suit his budget. Eventually he was able to get back on his feet. He would come to us and ask if he could afford a new fridge this week and we’d check his record and tell him to maybe come back in a month or two because he would be better placed by then. Sure enough he’d turn up again in another couple of months and we’d give him the money for the fridge. He ended up owning his own house and I think his wife started up her own business. Now that’s a real success story.”

Mr Jury leaves behind two living children, four grandchildren, ten great grandchildren, and an inspiring legacy to the customer owned banking movement.