News Releases

The UWI Opens Permanent Home for Hans Stecher Rock and Mineral Collection

For Release Upon Receipt - October 28, 2026

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – October 28, 2026 – A lifetime of collecting geological specimens spanning more than six decades has found a permanent home at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St. Augustine Campus, following the official opening of the Hans Stecher Rock and Mineral Collection at The UWI Seismic Research Centre (SRC) on Friday, October 9, 2026.

The collection comprises nearly 1,000 specimens of rocks, semi-precious minerals, crystal artefacts and other distinctive pieces gathered by the late Hans Stecher during travels to more than 30 countries. Donated by the Stecher family, the collection is now being preserved and displayed at the SRC, where it will support education, research and wider public engagement in geology and the earth sciences.

Best known in Trinidad and Tobago as the founder of Stecher’s Ltd, Hans Stecher spent more than 60 years building the collection, driven by what his family has described as a lifelong fascination with the natural world. The official opening represents the fulfilment of the family’s wish that the collection be housed in an institution where it could be properly cared for, publicly displayed and used to advance the study of geology.

In a statement marking the opening, the Stecher family said:

“The family of Hans and Sheila Stecher is elated by the UWI’s acceptance of the donation of the Hans Stecher Rock and Mineral Collection from the Stecher Estate and has housed the Collection in a suitably designed museum within its geological faculty.

The Collection represents the culmination of over sixty years of Mr. Stecher’s passion for collecting rocks and minerals and his meticulous search for unique specimens around the World. The museum has fittingly placed the Collection into a home of highly reputable geological academia, which recognizes its unique position in the world of minerology, as it comprises specimens that are rarely seen beyond the confines of photographs or renowned natural history museums.

We believe that this extraordinary Collection carries immense cultural and educational value that we are pleased to share with the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the wider World.”

The collection was formally donated to The UWI in late November 2024, almost a decade after Stecher’s death in 2014. At the time of the handover, the SRC began preparations to establish a dedicated space to house and display the specimens.

For The UWI, the collection adds a significant educational and heritage resource to the work of the Seismic Research Centre, the Eastern Caribbean’s leading agency for monitoring, research and outreach related to earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. It also creates opportunities for students, researchers and members of the public to encounter geological specimens that might otherwise be accessible only through photographs or collections at major natural history institutions.

SRC Director Dr Erouscilla Joseph, speaking when the collection was handed over in 2024, described the donation as “serendipitous” and pointed to the wider value specialised collections can bring to universities and research institutions. She noted that such collections can attract researchers and visitors while strengthening an institution’s contribution to heritage preservation and scientific advancement.

The collection also carries a history that extends well beyond geology.

Stecher arrived in Trinidad with his parents in 1938 at the age of 15, after the family fled Austria. During the period surrounding the Second World War, the family was among Jewish refugees with German passports who were interned, first on Nelson Island and later in St James. Despite those early experiences, Stecher developed a strong attachment to Trinidad and Tobago, eventually building the business for which his family became widely known and contributing to the country in other areas, including service as a member of the Tourist Board.

His interest in jewellery and unusual objects grew alongside his business career. Beginning with a small watch repair operation with his father, Stecher later established his own business and continued acquiring rocks, minerals, crystal pieces and other artefacts during his travels. Some of those pieces now form part of the collection housed at the SRC.

At the collection’s handover in 2024, The UWI St. Augustine Campus Deputy Principal Professor Derek Chadee underscored the significance of preserving a collection shaped by a lifetime of curiosity and painstaking effort, noting its potential to inspire future generations of students, researchers and members of the public.

The opening of the Hans Stecher Rock and Mineral Collection now moves that vision from donation to public resource. Beyond preserving the specimens, themselves, the permanent collection brings together science, education, heritage and personal history, while making a privately assembled body of geological material available to support learning and discovery.

For the Stecher family, it also ensures that a passion pursued by Hans Stecher for more than 60 years will continue to have value beyond his lifetime, giving students, researchers and the wider public an opportunity to examine and learn from some of the natural treasures he spent much of his life seeking out.

The Hans Stecher Rock and Mineral Collection will be open to the public in early 2027. Further details will be shared on Seismic Research Centre's social media pages.

 

END

 

Noted to the Editors

 

Photo #1: Members of Hans Stecher's family, accompanied by Acting Campus Principal Dr. Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw and Erouscilla Joseph, director of UWI's Seismic Research Centre, gather for a commemorative photograph at the launch of the Hans Stecher Rock & Mineral Collection, celebrating the preservation of a valuable collection of geological specimens.

 

Photo #2: Guests explore the Hans Stecher Rock & Mineral Collection, examining the diverse rock and mineral specimens showcased in the exhibition.

 

Photo #3: Acting Campus Principal Dr. Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw, accompanied by Erouscilla Joseph, director of UWI's Seismic Research Centre, and a member of Hans Stecher's family participate in the ceremonial ribbon-cutting to officially unveil the Stecher Collection, marking the opening of the exhibition.

 

About The UWI Seismic Research Centre

The UWI Seismic Research Centre is the Eastern Caribbean’s leading agency for monitoring and research related to earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. In addition to its scientific monitoring and research responsibilities, the Centre undertakes education and outreach to strengthen public understanding of geological hazards and support regional resilience.

 

About The UWI

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). In the latest World University Rankings 2022, released in September 2021, The UWI moved up an impressive 94 places from last year. In the current global field of some 30,000 universities and elite research institutes, The UWI stands among the top 1.5%.

The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean, it is also in the top 20 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

For more, visit www.uwi.edu.

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