New Rabobank branch opens in Colac

To celebrate the opening of the new branch, more than 80 guests attended a launch held at the prestigious Otway Estate south of Colac last night.

Presenting at the event, Rabobank state manager for Victoria Mark Bennett said the opening of the new Colac branch allows the bank to better support its clients in the area.

“As a specialist in agribusiness banking, it makes perfect sense to be located in key agricultural production areas such as Colac,” Bennett said.

Located at 24 Murray Street, in the centre of Colac, the new branch will help service the southwest farming community which is largely focused on dairy, beef, and sheep production.

Appointed to manage the new office is Rababank branch manager for Colac Garry Pattison who comes from the bank’s Warrnambool branch. A long-term southwest resident, Mr Pattison is very familiar with the district and said he is pleased to be based locally to work closely with existing clients in the area.

“Despite operating from Warrnambool, I have personally focused on the Colac area from early on and I am looking forward to being local to the bank’s clients there and more accessible to them in the long-run,” Pattison said.

Joining Mr Pattison in the new branch is Rabobank rural officer Karen Brady. A resident of Colac, Mrs Brady has a long history of working in the banking and finance sector and is an active member of several community organisations.

At the launch, a keynote agribusiness presentation was given by specialist agri analysts from Rabobank’s Food and Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) division – general manager for FAR Justin Sherrard and dairy and food processing analyst Michael Harvey – providing the audience with a generally positive outlook for agriculture both domestically and internationally.

FAR is a team of agri-economists who analyse developments in food and agricultural markets and industries and advise the bank and its clients on the strategic implications for their businesses.