Call to back bank

A PLAN for a community bank in Stanthorpe will be officially launched this weekend.
Steering committee Deputy Chair Mary Rofe said Stanthorpe residents were invited to pledge their support for the bank at a special community meeting at the Stanthorpe Piazza on Saturday 22 March at 9am.
Mrs Rofe said the local committee had been excitedly planning to bring the unique Community Bank model to Stanthorpe as a way of encouraging local banking that financially benefits the community.
Once established, Stanthorpe Community Bank Branch will offer a full suite of Bendigo Bank products and services, with profits reinvested into the community through sponsorships, grants and shareholder dividends.
Mrs Rofe encouraged those interested in finding out about how their banking could inject funds into their community to attend the meeting, which will be held at the Stanthorpe Piazza.
“This is a really exciting development for the Stanthorpe region,” Mrs Rofe said.
“A Community Bank branch would allow Stanthorpe residents to actively participate in growing the region.
“Profits from the branch would be distributed around the region for all sorts of projects.
“In other regions, Community Bank branches have supported new fire trucks, large indoor sports centres, PCYC facilities, community buses, community kitchens, RSPCA vans and more.”
She said there were currently 300 Community Bank branches across Australia that have returned more than $115 million to support local communities.
Mrs Rofe said in Rosewood, the local Community Bank branch had given back more than $850,000 in profits through sponsorships and grants to community projects.
Committee members and Bendigo Bank staff will be available at Saturday’s meeting to answer any questions people might have about the bank model and the Stanthorpe campaign.
Under Bendigo Bank’s Community Bank model, a pledge campaign will then be conducted to gauge community support of the initiative.