From what we have seen there are strong indicators that the current property market momentum, will continue, and this is expected in both metropolitan and regional areas. Over the past six months, Queensland Country has experienced record lending for home loans which we attribute to a number of things with one being the Government incentives that have been available to first home buyers. For Members who are considering purchasing their first home, Queensland Country Bank is one of only 27 participating lenders across Australia offering places under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. Please contact your Local Manager to find out more.
Congratulations to our recent recipients of the Queensland Country Good for Good Community Grants Scheme for 2021. It’s pleasing to see, eight community groups located in Ayr, Cairns, Charters Towers, Townsville, Jimboomba, Mackay, Magnetic Island, and Mount Isa, who have a focus on sport and recreation, arts, culture and heritage will benefit from this much needed funding. It is a privilege for Queensland Country to be able to provide this assistance.
On the 23rd February, Queensland Country Bank turned 50! For half a century we have been committed to strengthening the financial position of our Members and in turn the communities we live and work in. Our continued growth wouldn’t have been possible without our valued Members. The 50th anniversary for Queensland Country Bank is a time to reflect on our past and look to the future. Having transitioned to a member-owned bank a year ago, our future for the next 50 years is bright. We celebrated the momentous occasion with a network wide morning tea. This involved our 28 branches, Townsville Head Office, two administration offices (Brisbane and Cairns), and three dental practices inviting Members to come along and celebrate the anniversary and to share stories of the early days. A special acknowledgement to John Wilmot, Member of our first Board of directors of the then Isa Mine Employees Credit Union, who attended our Member Meeting in Mount Isa on the evening of 23 February.
In our last newsletter, I announced that Queensland Country Bank was proceeding with a transfer of banking business with Maleny Credit Union (MCU) into our organisation. I’m pleased to advise that the transfer of business has since occurred on 1 March, with data migration completed from MCU’s banking platform to Queensland Country’s banking platform over the weekend of 20 and 21 March. I’d like to welcome our new Members from the Sunshine Coast region to Queensland Country. Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful town of Maleny and look forward to many more visits in the future. Jodie Nolan, our new Local Manager, and her team are ready to help and answer any queries you may have regarding products or any changes to your banking needs. Welcome Maleny branch team.
I’d like to acknowledge the assistance from John Ford, Acting CEO of MCU, and Sarah Davies, Chair of MCU in making the transfer of business possible and reassuring Members that the transfer with Queensland Country Bank was the right fit for Maleny Credit Union. The transfer supports the organisation’s strategic vision of being “the bank for Queenslanders” so providing our first presence on the Sunshine Coast, is an exciting time for the Bank and our future. I’d also like to acknowledge the efforts of Queensland Country’s Maleny Transfer of Business Project Team for their hard work and dedication over the past few months. Conducting a transfer of business is a massive undertaking and usually takes many months to complete, so it was pleasing to see this occur in such a short time frame with minimal impact to our new Members.
We have recently completed a review of our Brisbane branches as we currently have two branches within the CBD. Following this review, we have decided to amalgamate the operations of our George Street and Post Office Square Brisbane branches which will result in our George Street branch ceasing to operate from Friday, 30 April 2021. Primarily, the George Street team will join the team at Post Office Square, and all staff at George Street have been offered roles. This means there will be more staff in the one location to support Members. Branch delivery continues to be a vital part of Queensland Country Bank and meets the expanding needs of current and new Member demands. Members from both branches have been advised of the changes, however if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us.
On a final note, it’s good to reflect on where we all are today compared to twelve months ago. With, social distancing, lock down, border closures and hotel quarantine becoming common words over the past year, it’s good to see as a united country, we have managed the pandemic well. For Queensland Country, we look forward to continuing to provide support to our Members and communities throughout 2021.
