Celebrating 25 years of Community Bank Bellarine

AFTER 25 years of service in Portarlington, Community Bank Bellarine is reflecting on its strong beginnings and the support it has provided to the community.

For a quarter of a decade, the bank has given back, investing in the growth and wellbeing of the Bellarine Peninsula.

Bank director Chris Niven said the bank played a massive role in supporting local communities.

“There was support going back for many organisations, these days it’s often around 50 a year that receive some kind of partnership or support from us.

“It helps build and helps local communities thrive, we think it’s a really crucial role to play with our community impact.”

The Portarlington branch opened in 1999 with a second branch in Drysdale opening in 2009.

“We cover a fair portion of the Bellarine, these days we’ve got about 8,000 customers and it’s a substantial business across the whole Bellarine,” Mr Niven said.

The community bank model started in Australia and was an idea that came out of Bendigo Bank for towns, particularly in regional areas, who had lost their last bank.

Community Bank Bellarine has returned more than $3.5 million to local community groups and organisations, funding many projects across the region.

Mr Niven said the fact the bank is still operating after 25 years was “hugely important” and enabled the investment in the community to continue.

“There’s not a lot of people who make all this happen.

“There’s currently about 12 staff across two sites and our board of directors so it’s quite remarkable.”

Over the past 25 years technology within the branch, and banking more broadly, has continued to change and evolve.

“As we’ve moved from things like manual processing through to digital and internet, everything’s online.

“We still do the delivery with face-to-face and a personal touch, we think it’s still crucial to have that physical presence, but there’s a lot of technology which helps deliver all those services to the customers.”

The bank has marked the milestone with several celebrations throughout the year, including a lunch at Jack Rabbit Vineyard with key shareholders and partners, sharing stories and memories across more than two decades.

As a way of boosting investment into the region, a round of community grant applications for the 25th anniversary was also opened.

Among the celebrations, the bank is also in the process of documenting its history in a book, with hopes of it being completed early next year.

The book will outline the major milestones from the bank’s first 25 years, bringing everything together.

More than just a bank

A focus on investing into the region sets Community Bank Bellarine apart from other banking institutions.
The bank has been an important part of the region for 25 years, dedicated to serving the locals
and giving back.

As a “profit-for-purpose” model, profits from the bank are returned to the community through community grants and partnerships, something director Chris Niven said sets the bank apart from the others.

“We’ve committed to investing in the growth and well-being of the community, in terms of dollars, it’s around $3.5 million that has gone back and growing,” he said.
“Last year, about $130,000 went back out to a variety of community and other organisations.
“To enable all that to happen, we’ve managed to grow the business and that’s not always easy, particularly in a small town.”
Funding meaningful and impactful projects across the Bellarine, the bank understands successful communities means successful businesses, ensuring the region thrives, with benefits for everyone.
Since its 1999 beginning, the bank has supported a huge number of community groups across the Bellarine.
In recent years, the bank has supported the Farm My School Project at Bellarine Secondary College and in partnership with Bellarine Community Health, teaching youth about food production and sustainable farming.

It also had a significant investment in the Portarlington Playground and its major upgrade, providing a $250,000 grant.
The bank has played a crucial role in the L2P program, providing a car for training learner drivers to get their license.
“We had kids who were then able to get a car to get their first job, so the chain reaction and impact on their lives was amazing, that’s one I’m really proud of and continues to this day,” Mr Niven said.
He said when the Community Bank Bellarine team spoke about the bank, they talk about it being the town’s bank.
“What really helps us is if people do support us through banking with us, it’s really crucial so that we can continue to grow.
“If we’re continuing to be successful, we can keep going with the community investment and build on that.
“For us to be successful and profitable, means that the investment part can happen, so everyone really is a winner.”
This year, the board completed a review and introduced a fresh community impact strategy, covering its investment back.
“We’ve come up with some pillars of areas that we want to make sure we have an impact on such as education, social inclusion, economic, health and well-being and food security,” Mr Niven said,
“That’s the kind of reach that we want to have with our investment back.”

For more information, head to communitybankbellarine.smartygrants.com.au