February 17, 2015
The ECU Australia credit union branch operating in the Council office at Blackbutt will stay open, with Council staff taking over the operations as an agency.
The branch, which offers a full range of banking services, has been operating from Blackbutt Council office since 1998 but last year the credit union said that it would be closing.
ECU, Council and community representatives met recently to begin the official handover process.
“ECU advised in mid-2014 that they were seeking interest to continue banking services in Blackbutt as the ECU bank would be closing,” Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said.
“Council has recognised that the ECU bank is a valuable service and have undertaken an agreement to continue banking services as an ECU agency.”
ECU representatives congratulated Council for continuing the service, saying the Blackbutt community was very lucky to have a Council that understood the needs of the community.
From March 2, the ECU agency will be open from 9:00am to 4:00pm along with the full range of services available through Council’s office in Blackbutt.
The opening hours for QGAP, Centrelink, Library and Council Customer services will remain as currently operating.
“Members enjoy coming into ECU Blackbutt because for a long time ECU was the only financial institution in Blackbutt,” Mayor Kratzmann said.
“Council has listened to the community who advocated retaining the agency, which provides old-fashioned face-to-face service.
“Some older members of our community don’t like using ATMs and EFTPOS, so coming into the branch is the only option.
“ECU staff are local residents of Blackbutt and well known for their friendliness and professionalism.”
[UPDATED from January 27, 2015. Originally published as “Credit Union To Stay Open”]
