At a meeting with the Bowraville community last night (Tuesday), bcu General Manager Mike Ribbens and others heard how important the local branch is to the wellbeing of the town.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The branch closed it's doors suddenly at the end of January after much speculation ... and now there is a loud community outcry.
Chair of the Bowraville Technology Centre Robynne McGinley, which share the building with the bcu, said the meeting was an opportunity for invited business owners to tell Mr Ribbens of the negative impact on businesses of the closure.
"People are travelling to Nambucca Heads or Macksville to shop because they can go to the bank there," Ms McGinley said.
"And for those people up the arms that have been burnt out, this is yet another impost ... another 40 km to travel for money and other things they need."
She said from the BTC's point of view, reopening the branch was key to keeping the centre viable.
"the bcu is in our building - I really want to keep it for us and for the town."
Security issues have been cited as the reason for the closure. Residents say that security checks were carried out on the premises today (Wednesday).
In a statement to the media General Manager, bcu, Mike Ribbens said:
"The temporary closure of our Bowraville store continues to remain about our duty of care to our staff who serve our members in this community.
The decision was motivated by no other factor than our obligation to provide a safe environment for our staff and our members.
This closure is the direct result of escalating threatening behaviour towards our staff over several months in and around the store.
We recognise the important role we play in the community, which is why we are actively considering what actions can be taken to provide additional security and other measures within our store that would satisfy our requirements to have a sustainably safe working environment.
We have always been, and remain, open to listening to the concerns of the community and working positively with local stakeholders but this will always need to be balanced with the best interests of safety for our staff who have every right to expect they will be protected and be able to come to work feeling safe."
Business owners were told that bcu would get back to them in a week ... they remain hopeful.
The Guardian News has tried to get comments from the Bowraville Chamber of Commerce, without success as yet.