Year in review

BCU started the year getting back to basics with our members by launching a Member Care program, run by Member Care Officer, Veronica Lane. Our longest-serving staff member, Veronica, relished the opportunity to phone new and long-time members to gain a greater understanding of their needs, concerns and likes and dislikes of BCU’s service and products. The information is helping us to create more effective products and services.

July 2009 also saw our events calendar kick into gear with staff from Lismore and Ballina branches spreading the word about BCU at the Lismore 4WD Caravan, Camping and Marine Show with more than 15,000 visitors attending the event.

August was an exciting month with the $7,700 BCU Bill Ussher Agricultural Grant awarded to a young Dorrigo fodder-crop farmer, David Gibson. The presentation was held in David’s home-town so that he could accept the award in the company of his closest family and friends. Likewise, runners-up Brett, Leanne & Emma Warne of the Jembrae Doughtmaster Stud near Casino accepted their $3,300 grant at a ceremony on their property.

BCU Pro-Ag in Macksville was once again a place for locals to access the latest information in farming innovation and technology and BCU was proud to again take naming rights and host a stall at the event.

In September BCU began a pilot program to look at the most effective way to streamline our lending processes. Work on the project continued in the months to come and as the financial year drew to a close many examples of process re-engineering which came out of the pilot were being implemented.

The culmination of 40 years of growth was celebrated in November with BCU inviting members back to where it all began – The Pub With no Beer, to celebrate BCU reaching $1billion in assets. Members joined with past and present staff and directors to share lunch, enjoy a live band and reminisce about the BCU’s early days.

There was also cause to celebrate in Coramba as the branch celebrated its 20th anniversary with an official cake cutting and face painting for the kids.

November saw high school students from across the Clarence attend the BCU-sponsored RYDA driver safety and awareness program, developed by Rotary Clubs as a way to keep our young people safer on the road. With the state of the Pacific Highway an issue affecting the length of our branch footprint, BCU through its support behind this day of workshops, lectures and sessions with police, driving instructors and the survivors of motor vehicle accidents.

Also in the Clarence, BCU opened its branches as collection points for the Variety Club Christmas toy appeal, with hundreds of children from across the region receiving gifts to brighten their Christmas.

December saw the launch of another Member-focused initiative – Straight To the Top, an email link that for the first time, put members in direct contact with BCU Chief Executive, Lyndon Kingston. This popular initiative has resulted in feedback from members on everything from iBank to the BCU website and sponsorship and has given the BCU executive increased clarity around the issues that affect our members.

2010 began with BCU committed to supporting a sport which has captured the hearts of many of our members from across the region - horse cutting. The BCU events team made an impression at the Eastern Falls Cutting Events Armidale Futurity, and later in the year took naming rights at the BCU Uralla Stakes.

In February, BCU introduced VoIP telephone technology, a move which allowed our entire branch network become our call centre.

And while the phones were running hot, the BCU Board of directors made its way to Port Macquarie, for the first ever BCU regional board meeting - aimed at increasing the relevance of our brand, products and services to the towns and cities we serve.

February saw BCU “bring back the banana” with a lively Term Deposit campaign that saw staff wear sandwich boards and “bananarise” our branches to promote a great Term Deposit offering. Who can forget that tiny voice on the radio telling banana jokes?

In March BCU got behind the Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker in his annual charity bike ride to raise money for the Disabled Surfers’ Association. March also saw the end of tan era with the phasing out of the Big River Credit Union BSB, streamlining all BCU members under the one access code.

A further tier of security was added to online transactions with the launch of Trustdefender V2, which included many modifications flagged in feedback from BCU members.

In April, BCU joined in celebrations of the opening of a new building for the Coramba rural fire brigade’, while May saw long-time BCU member Nambucca Glass realise a life-long dream with the opening of a brand new factory and showroom.

BCU wrapped up the financial year with another regional board meeting in Grafton and by donating more than $70,000 to the worthy Community Saver Account recipient groups across the region. Schools, Surf Lifesaving Clubs, breast cancer support groups and sporting clubs received a welcome boost to their accounts, in the third year of this valuable community initiative.