Open for Business: Smithton & Districts Community Bank®
Ribbon snipped as doors open at Bendigo Bank's 324th Community Bank® branch
Smithton and districts communities to benefit from local banking profits
Bendigo Bank Managing Director, Marnie Baker, has officiated at a ceremony in Smithton in Tasmania’s North West to add a new Community Bank® branch to Australia’s fifth largest retail banking network.
Ms Baker said "I am very pleased to declare Smithton & Districts Community Bank® open for business as our 324th Community Bank® in Australia, bringing our total of Tasmanian branches to more than 20.
"Our new Smithton branch is co-branded with Rural Bank, a concept we are growing as a model and one that works particularly well in communities like Smithton where the agribusiness sector in the North-West needs access to personalised relationships with dedicated agri-lending specialists.
"Bendigo Bank is investing in Tasmania and today, Smithton becomes part of this great community banking movement as we progress towards our vision of becoming Australia’s bank of choice.
"Since inception, Community Bank® branches have returned more than $205 million to communities across Australia through donations, grants and sponsorships and they have a long history of fully funding or providing seed funding for major projects worth millions of dollars.
"In addition to the more than 70 staff employed by our Tasmanian Community Bank® network, community contributions to strengthen Tasmanian communities in 2017/2018 were more than $500,000, totalling several millions of dollars in the state since the first Community Bank® branch was opened.
"Today, is the culmination of many years of hard work on the part of the Smithton community. When a community swings behind initiatives such as this, great things can happen and without the community's support and the steering committee's tireless work, dedication and enthusiastic advocacy, this opening would not have been possible.
"I would like to thank the people of Smithton and surrounding districts for choosing to partner with Bendigo Bank and for inviting us into your community and I wish them every success for the future," Ms Baker concluded.
Deputy Mayor, Circular Head Council, Norman Berechree said:
"I congratulate the steering committee and board for getting this Community Bank® off the ground and bringing it to fruition and I welcome Bendigo Bank to Circular Head.
"It is great for Smithton and Circular Head to have a Bendigo Bank branch servicing our communities’ banking needs and as a Community Bank®, giving back through the funding of community projects.
"I wish them all the best and look forward to the future of Bendigo Bank in our community", Mr Berechree concluded.
You can find out more about Bendigo Community Bank® branches here:
www.bendigobank.com.au/community
