LIAM DURKIN
Liam Durkin
THE only way is up at Community Bank Trafalgar & District – or so it seems. Trafalgar’s Bendigo Bank branch is set to undergo a mass upgrade in coming months, with plans in place to see the branch brought into the modern era. While a new site remains a possibility, Community Bank Trafalgar & District director Geoff Conway said the bank’s preference was to redevelop the existing site alongside the Princes Highway. If that happens, expect to see a second story added. “They’ll definitely be redevelopment, physical infrastructure because retail banking is still very important to us, we would like to do it on the existing site, we’ve still got some questions to answer there, but whatever happens, we’ll be redeveloping,” he said. The upgraded building will include facilities that will be available to community groups for meetings and forums, as well as functional and user-friendly spaces for customers. Bendigo remains the last physical branch in Trafalgar, following the closure of ANZ in 2018. With bank branches across regional Victoria seemingly closing every month, Mr Conway moved to reassure the Trafalgar community Bendigo was committed to being a physical presence in the district. “There is a lot of concern about services to community, but one thing that people of this district can be really confident of is that we are here and we’ve got your back,” he said. “The bank is seeing potential growth, all of our towns and district are growing, there is great opportunities for us to support our community which is our purpose. “We want to send a message to people (that) we are here to stay.” As a community bank, Trafalgar & District differs from a traditional corporate bank, with profits raised distributed back into the local community. Since opening, Bendigo Bank Trafalgar & District has given back $1.83 million in profits to the local community. Countless community groups in Trafalgar and surrounds have benefitted from the bank, which remains an asset to the small town. The bank is staffed by locals, and offers the same services as any of the ‘big four’. Trafalgar & District will celebrate its 20th anniversary later this year, and hopes to see the exciting redevelopment taking shape by then.
