Our managing director, Justine Finlay, recently attended the launch of a new book celebrating 25 years of the Bellarine Peninsula Community branch. The book, A Community Builds a Bank : The First 25 Years of Community Bank Bellarine 1999 – 2024, provides the history of this important organisation.
The book is a celebration of the community and the people who established one of the first Bendigo Bank community banks in Portarlington in 1999 and the second branch in Drysdale. Driven by Sandra Baldwin, who served as secretary of the board for many years, this book brings history to life and showcases the importance of the community bank to the Northern Bellarine community.
Justine was a member of the board from 2001 taking on the role of Chairperson in 2005 for three years. After time in another organisation Justine returned to the board, again taking on the role of Chair until 2019, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the community bank.
When speaking about the community bank and her role Justine said “I was so proud to be a part of the team that was able to provide banking services in a town where the major banks had all disappeared, but more importantly to see the benefit that the community bank was able to bring to the community in the form of grants to community organisations and dividends to local shareholders.”
Congratulations to the board and staff of the Bellarine Peninsula Community Branch on 25 years serving the community.
Image above: Justine Finlay (Managing Director – Wightons Lawyers) pictured with Sandra Baldwin (former Secretary of the Board – Community Bank Bellarine)
