Six days, six locations, 1,600 gelatos later, and plenty of engaging conversations at our Financial Service Centers, our 60-year local activities have officially wrapped up.
When we started planning our 60-year celebrations, we wanted them to feel personal. Not just a milestone for SCCU, but an opportunity to give back and engage with the people who have been part of our story. Our customers and communities who we have proudly supported through life’s important financial moments, from opening their first account, saving for something special, buying a first home, starting a new business, and planning for the future.
That’s exactly what we did. Apart from special offers available on our website, we have celebrated with customers and communities across our Financial Service Centres, taking the opportunity to mark 60 years of Southern Cross Credit Union in the place where it all started – the Northern Rivers region.
Across Kingscliff, Cabarita, Ballina, Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah and Tweed, our teams welcomed customers and locals with complimentary gelato, giveaways and the chance to stop for a chat.
One of the best parts of taking our celebrations across the region was hearing what 60 years of SCCU looks like from the other side of the counter. We caught up with customers who remember our earliest days. We met people discovering SCCU for the first time or learning the difference between a credit union and a bank. We heard stories about old names, local businesses and families who have banked with us across generations.
And, as you’d expect after 60 years banking in the Northern Rivers, between the scoops, our teams also heard stories that put the last 6 decades into perspective.
[the next generations of customers, enjoying a gelato]
For some customers, that story goes back almost as far as ours does.
We heard from a customer who has banked with SCCU for more than 54 years and has watched the Credit Union grow and change over that time. In Mullumbimby and Murwillumbah, conversations brought back memories of the Banana Growers’ Federation and Tweed Byron Credit Union, names that are still very familiar to many long-time locals.
[The original BFG House in Murwillumbah where SCCU began]
There’s Eleanor Bartz, a local business owner who has been with SCCU since 1974 and is still a regular face at our Mullumbimby Financial Service Centre. Valerie Hodgson has been with us since 1995 and still talks about how much she enjoys coming in and seeing the team. And Gerard Vandenbroek and his family have a connection with SCCU in Murwillumbah that stretches all the way back to the 1960s.
[Picture of Gerard Vandenbroek, cane farmer and banking with SCCU since the 60’s]
They’re different stories, but there’s a common thread between them. While banking has changed a lot, the value people place on relationships hasn’t.
At Cabarita, one mum who homeschools her daughters stopped to chat with the team. She hadn’t realised children could open an account from a young age, so the conversation turned to our Little Star Saver account and how she could start teaching her daughters about saving with our 3-Jar Method.
We also had customers from other financial institutions being surprised by our range of products, our competitive rates and the fact that Credit Unions like ours are also protected by the Financial Government Scheme just like the big 4.
[picture of 3-jar set up at our Tweed Financial Service Centre]
Another customer later approached our team to tell us how welcoming and genuine she had found SCCU, and how the team had made both her and her son feel special when enjoying gelato with us.
For us, those conversations probably say more about 60 years than any timeline could. They show the role your Credit Union can still play in our community. Being customer-owned means banking starts with people.
[photo of our team at Tweed]
To everyone who stopped by, shared a story, had a chat or joined us for a gelato, thank you. Here’s to you!
If you haven’t had the opportunity yet, visit our 60-year anniversary page to read more about our history, watch our customer stories series, and check out the special offers we prepared for you.
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