MAFFRA’S Bendigo Bank branch has been recognised as the best in the state.
Officially known as Community Bank Maffra & District, the branch was awarded Regional Victoria & Tasmania Branch of the Year during a virtual ceremony last month.
The accolade was accepted by all four Maffra staff members at Bendigo Bank’s Sale branch on Tuesday, October 25.
Maffra & District branch manager Renee Vidler described receiving the prize as “quite a shock”.
“A nice shock, because we’ve been nominated for Branch of the Year, like, the last three years,” Ms Vidler said.
“It’s good to still be up there, but to finally win just makes it even better.”
The ceremony differed from years past – where awards were previously presented during Bendigo Bank’s annual conference of regional branch managers, in 2022 they were announced via the video-conferencing software Microsoft Teams.
Employees from Community Bank branches across Gippsland – including Heyfield, Bairnsdale, Paynesville and Traralgon – all gathered at the Sale branch to watch the event streamed.
Additionally, it was the first ceremony to see all staff at a branch recognised, rather than the branch manager alone.
Ms Vidler said it was “really good” to see everyone recognised after two years of COVID and lockdowns.
“It means that the work that you’ve put in over the past 12 months has really paid-off – you’ve focused on the customer, ensured that they’ve received what they need and nothing else,” Ms Vidler said.
“But also, our point of difference is what we put back into the community, and especially here in Maffra – we’re the only branch that’s open all day, every day.”
Presently, in-person banking services are limited in Maffra, with the town’s Commonwealth Bank branch closing at 1pm weekdays, and the NAB branch listed online as “temporarily closed”.
Community Bank Maffra & District celebrated its win well into the following month, with balloons and commemorative writing still present when the Gippsland Times visited the branch on Wednesday, November 2.
