“When I started it was an era when we were more likely to be seen as professionals,” he said.
“My farmer Grandfather said to me just after I joined the Bank, ‘There are four or five people in town you looked up to as respected, professionals including the doctor, the policeman and the bank manager - and often the banker was seen as highly regarded.
“I still believe that being a banker is all about providing valuable assistance to the community & businesses, encouraging progress & growth in an orderly, regulated way - and I also believe that being part of a professional body like FINSIA is even more important now than it was when I started. There is always so much change happening!
“The fact that people move around during their career so much more these days makes FINSIA so important because it is something they can hang their hat on to prove their professionalism and dedication to the industry.
“Becoming a Senior Fellow was such a proud achievement because it’s recognition of 42 years as a member and recognition of service and contribution to the profession and the industry.”
It was career advice from the Chief Accountant in Head Office where he was working that triggered Trevor’s interest in FINSIA. This set him on the path that led to him receiving his SF FIN certificate from SA Regional Council Chair Ben Owen F FIN.
“It was straight forward advice that he gave, which I am still grateful for today - and that was, I needed to study to help gain the skills to help me on my path to a successful, professional career,” said Trevor.
“I knew I wanted a career in banking, so for the next four or five years I went to night school, working on a banking & finance course with a mate of mine.”
Having the Department of Further Education certificate was an immediate return on investment in the late 1970s as it helped those in junior roles within the bank get a three-year jump in priority, according to Trevor.
Without it, there would be a list of people further up the line for promotions into new roles.
The professional side of the equation that Trevor is still passionate about, despite now being retired, came when he joined the Australian Institute of Banking (AIB) - that later merged with the Securities Institute of Australia (SIA) to become FINSIA.
“When I joined the AIB in 1980, I could see straight away what the benefits were of being part of a professional body,” he said.
“It opened doors to so much knowledge and learning opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have or been encouraged to attempt.
The early part of Trevor’s career took him through the accounting department, Treasury and money markets, where he became a senior dealer. He was also a leader in commercial banking and an area manager where he oversaw up to 20 branches.
Along the way, he recalls one of his proudest achievements was turning a branch he was managing into a regional office through “encouraging the staff to work together as a team & appreciate the customers we had who supported our business. It was simply good old fashioned customer service.
But there were lows, too. Having to close branches after the 1991 crash and making colleagues redundant was incredibly hard, he says.
“They were mates. A lot of us had started out together as 16-year-olds. We encouraged each other through the good and the bad,” he said.
“For me it was a great career. I may have only been with one bank, but I had 10 to 15 very different roles and I was either learning or teaching by being a leader, whether it be as the manager or as a mentor.
“That’s where FINSIA can be so useful today - through the networking, mentoring and education it offers so members are able to demonstrate their dedication to lifelong learning and pride in their roles.
