Rochester community bank vows to get back on its feet post-floods

The bank’s ATM was forced into early retirement by flood damage, with a special farewell made on social media.

Rochester's Community Bank was inundated with one meter of flood water during the recent disaster.

A Rochester ATM has merited its own special farewell, with a goodbye send off posted to social media by the bank it belonged to.

It quickly attracted a response of “noooo” from a grieving customer on a the town’s Facebook page where it had been reposted.

The Community Bank of Elmore, Lockington and Rochester published pictures of the ATM and the wall it was removed from in an update customers on the status of the town’s branch.

“Goodbye ATM,” it stated.

“Our Rochester ATM was inundated with over one metre of water during the floods, and has been out of operation since. Today it was removed from our branch after 11 years of providing cash to our community.”

The bank has said that customers could still make cash withdrawals within the town, so long as they went to the Rochester Post Office. It has promised to waive the fees while the branch is closed.

“We are continuing to work alongside our insurers, our partner Bendigo Bank and local trades to get our ATM and branch up and running as soon as possible,” the bank posted.

“We are also exploring other ways in which we can provide banking services to our community until we’re fully functional again. In the interim, we are here to help in the following ways: we have a staff member stationed at the Rochester 4 Rs each day this week from 11am - 2pm. They can help you with non-cash banking assistance.”

The bank has also directed customers to visit its branches in Elmore and Lockington to use phone or internet banking in the meantime.