Street party

A STREET party will mark the opening of the GembrookCockatoo branch of the Bendigo Community Bank next month.
Over the last five years Cockatoo and Gembrook Community groups have been working hard towards opening a branch of the bank in the town.
Cockatoo Township Committee president, Dott Griffin, said the town had never been large enough to have a proper bank.
Ms Griffin said following a feasibility study, the steering committee contacted the Bendigo Community Bank Upwey Branch for help with the CockatooGembrook bank project.
The CockatooGembrook Branch of the Bendigo Community Bank will be at the fish and chip shop.
Ms Griffin said there will be two openings of the bank next month, an official opening on the Friday involving officials from the Bendigo Community Bank and a street party on the Saturday.
She said the street party would be a celebration for the Gembrook and Cockatoo communities for all their hard work in getting a bank in the town.
The opening of the CockatooGembrook branch will coincide with the opening of two new branches in Belgrave.
Bendigo Community Bank chairman, Peter Marke, last week announced that nine staff, including two branch manager had been appointed to run two of the community banks that are set to open in midAugust.
The CockatooGembrook branch manager will be local Adam Whitworth who has extensive banking experience in the Yarra Valley.
Adam’s team will include supervisor Kym Aisbett and customer service officers Melodie Hawkins, Jacqueline Scanlan and Linda Markwell.
Mr Marke said he was confident that the bank had a strong local team with significant experience to bring the Bendigo way of banking to the Cockatoo district and Belgrave.