Around the branches & HO

This section is for photos of staff around the branches. If you have any photos that you would like us to add to the gallery, please send photo (with caption) to Nick Oklobdzija.

Echuca 1967

The photo below was taken outside the Echuca Branch and was provided by Lance Berryman. Lance is the person on the right of the photo and the lady with the handbag is Nancy Cato, who compered the Mickey Mouse Club, way back in early TV days. The show was sponsored by the SSB. Coralyn and Lance as juniors were selected to attend a Mickey Mouse Club promotion at Echuca Civic Centre to hand out pencils and rulers.

L-R Coralyn Ham, Nancy Cato (TV GMV 6 Shepperton) Terry O’Sullivan and Lance Berryman

Warracknabeal Visit March 2020

A few SBVROC members and their wives had an enjoyable visit to the old SBV branch at Warracknabeal. The local Historical Society maintains the branch as a museum of the region. The branch counter and fittings are more or less the way they were in the 1950’s. Allan Warren stood at the teller’s counter with the name plate that he left behind when he last worked there in 1962. Go to Warracknabeal in the branches photo gallery to see branch interior and historic photo of the branch before the 2nd storey was added.

SBVROC trip to Warracknabeal in March 2020

Allan Warren at the counter with his old nameplate, which was still at Warracknabeal

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Gunnie Waddell

Glenda Salter provided the following words on Gunnie Waddell, who is 100 years young in 2020. He won a scholarship to Ivanhoe Grammar but his father became ill and he was called home to Yea. His father did not survive the surgery and so he sat an exam to work at the local SSB.
He passed the exam in 1935, when he was 15 and lasted there until 1940 when he enlisted. His managers were Jack Harris, and Frank Taylor.
Gunnie was usually on the tennis court or golf course by 4.00 pm.
He said the work wasn’t hard and not his choice of career.
His dad ran the local picture theater and then, after his passing, his mother took on the job.
Ivanhoe Grammar took over their home, Beaufort house, and the other family home during the war to house their students.
After the war he became a foreign diplomat and worked in London, Paris, Rome, New York And Washington; a position he thoroughly enjoyed.
Sadly he will not be marching on Anzac Day this year due to our most unusual circumstances.
I wonder if anyone out there remembers this funny, intelligent, charming man?