As we reflect on the year just passed, we want to take a moment to honour the lives and legacies of three remarkable women who were not just part of our story ā they helped write the first chapter.
In 2025, we sadly lost three of our founding members and original directors: Margaret Gourlay, Betty (Elizabeth) Anderson, and Rose Dowling.
These women were pioneers of the credit union movement in Erskine, Linwood and Renfrew. Their vision and determination laid the foundations for what would eventually become Right Way Credit Union.
At a time when few formal financial services were accessible for ordinary working families, these women didnāt sit back and accept the status quo. They rolled up their sleeves and created something better. They gave up their evenings, weekends, and years of their lives to build safe, local, not-for-profit financial institutions ā not for recognition, and never for reward. Simply because they believed people deserved better.
Between them, they helped thousands of families across Renfrewshire to save for Christmas, cover emergency costs, buy a new washing machine, fix the car, or bury a loved one with dignity. Whether it was processing loans into the small hours (as was often the case with Margaret and Betty!) or keeping spirits high with Roseās baking and sharp humour, these women were the credit union movement in our communities.
They lived the ethos of āpeople helping peopleā long before it became a strapline.
They served on our boards, ran collection points, made sandwiches, did the accounts, offered a listening ear, they gave it all. They did it with humility, heart, and a commitment to fairness that never wavered.
Weāll never be able to measure the money they helped people save, or the lives they changed. But we know this, without their courage and persistence, Right Way Credit Union simply wouldnāt exist today.
We may now have four branches, computer systems, regulatory frameworks, and a growing membership of over 8,000, but weāll never forget that everything we do stands on the shoulders of these quiet giants.
The values they championed: dignity, fairness, compassion, and community remain at the heart of our work.
To Margaret, Betty, and Roseā¦ we remember you with deep love, admiration and respect.
Your legacy lives on in every member we serve.
Thank you.