$50 Note

(The Right Excellent Errol Barrow)

$ 50

The Right Excellent Errol Barrow (1920-1987) is perhaps the most beloved of all Barbadian statesmen.

A lawyer by profession, he entered the political arena in 1951, when he joined the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and immediately won a seat in the House of Assembly. Four years later, he left the BLP and formed the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).

He contested the 1961 general elections as leader of the DLP and became Premier, a position he held until 1966, when he led Barbados to independence from Great Britain. He then became the nation’s first Prime Minister and led the nation until 1976.

During his first 15 years as leader of Barbados, Barrow achieved many social reforms and national advances:

Free secondary and tertiary education
Introduction of a National Insurance and Social Security
Establishment of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies
Establishment of the Barbados Community College
Launching of the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA), the forerunner to CARICOM
Improved health services
Improved school meals services

In 1967, he received the Head of State Award for “outstanding service to the country” from Lions International.

In 1976, the DLP lost the general elections and Barrow became leader of the opposition. Ten years later, the party was returned to power and Barrow once again became Prime Minister. The Right Excellent Errol Barrow died in office the following year on June 1, 1987.

January 21, his birthday, is a national holiday, and he is one of Barbados’ 10 National Heroes.

Security Features - 2013 Series

The Right Excellent Errol Barrow’s face appears on the left of the note when it is held up to light. The image is also visible in reverse when the note is viewed from the back.

The number “50” appears beneath the portrait watermark when the note is held up to light. The image is also visible in reverse when the note is viewed from the back.

The white areas of the broken trident become tinted with orange when the note is held up to the light. Viewed from the back of the note, the missing areas of the broken trident are filled in.

Wide bars that weave in and out of the paper change colour from red to green when the note is tilted. When the note is held up, the bars become an uninterrupted line that reads “CBB 50”.

The number “50” appears on the top right of the note when the note is tilted at certain angles.

The broken trident and the waves behind the map of Barbados glow yellow and green under UV light.

Invisible fibres embedded in the paper glow under UV light.

When the note is tilted, the pelican on the hologram shifts, and the other images - Pride of Barbados flowers, broken tridents and the number “50” – appear and disappear.

Design Elements

Raised dots to help the blind identify the denomination. Five dots equal $50.

The Coat of Arms of Barbados.

The map of Barbados with the location of the capital city, Bridgetown, highlighted.

The official launch date of the series.

The Governor's signature.

Independence Square was once a car park, but the area was redesigned, and in 2007, it reopened as a civic space with fountains and an amphitheatre that overlooks the Careenage. Standing high above Independence Square is a statue of the Right Honourable Errol Walton Barrow, who is also known to Barbadians as the Father of Independence.