Wednesday, 11 October, 2017.
When Julie-Ann Jones moved 850 kilometres with her family from Mildura to Bathurst, she thought her new home town was a cosmopolitan metropolis. Having moved from the remote country Victoria town, Bathurst presented more social, education and work opportunities for her young family.
Now, our Bathurst Branch Lending Manager considers the Central West NSW town the perfect blend of country and urban lifestyles.
"Honestly, it was a lot busier and more metropolitan than where I was from," she said. "It’s about twice the size of Mildura and it’s only a stone’s throw from the cities in comparison. Bathurst still has the country feel to it but it’s very close (in comparison) to Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra, the Central Coast, and those types of places. But you get that laid-back lifestyle still."
Julie-Ann said the move came after more than 30 years of visiting her father, a truck driver, in Bathurst. Her son and daughter, 20 and 21, and husband are 'locals' now and live and work in Bathurst.
Since opening our Bathurst branch in April 2014, Julie-Ann has enjoyed getting involved in the community. Her role as a branch and mobile lender means she travels as far out of Bathurst as Cowra, Lithgow and Oberon to help people with loans.
“I love the people, I love the community, I try to get around and do lots of networking,” Julie-Ann said. “The place and people just have so much to offer.
"I’ve been involved with Women in Business and Central West Business Leaders luncheons, chamber of commerce meetings, of course, but I just generally enjoy the contact with the customers, which is why I love the work that I do."