Murals and banks in Beverley, Western Australia
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382324)
Rockingham, Australia
January 18, 2023 6:32pm CST
Yesterday, we drove through the town of Beverley in Western Australia. Friends of ours have purchased an old bank there and are now living in it. It was interesting to walk through to see the strongroom which still have a safe, and the other rooms. The manager lived upstairs. I think almost every room had a fireplace and the ceilings are incredibly high.
When Vince was about 16, he was sent to Beverley to work in a different bank. The town had three or four banks at the time as the town ws the centre of a large farming area. There are no banks there now. Many country towns no longer have banks which increases the stress on older inhabitants. It seems that, if you can’t use a computer and do everything on internet, then you’re of no consequence.
Photo is of a kookaburra mural in the main street.
25 people like this
25 responses
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Jan 23
Is it just the banks that disappeared, or have a lot of businesses in those small towns dried up?
7 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (49774)
• India
19 Jan 23
@JudyEv
At times, some changes are inevitable but cause hardships to different folks.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (59258)
•
19 Jan 23
Jeff, back when those little banks were built, they mostly had farmers and small businesses for clients. These people didn't always have time to travel far, they were too busy working. Times have changed and not always for the better.
I can personally attest to the fact that here in the midwest's smallish-type of towns, the little downtown businesses were murdered by Walmart. The little guys didn't buy in big bulk so they paid more for the stuff they had for sale in their stores. Eventually, Walmart killed them. The town I used to live in had a downtown with clothing stores, several hardware stores, shoe stores, jewelry stores, and on and on. Now those buildings are either empty, or they house resale shops, video gaming, and offices for other things. It's very sad to see.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (49774)
• India
19 Jan 23
@JudyEv
Not everything can go online.
There are various things that still need a person to go and do stuff in a bank branch.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (49774)
• India
19 Jan 23
The dependency on Mobile Apps and Websites and yes, it can be tough on older people.
The Kookaburra mural looks awesome!
The Cricket balls used in Australia are named after this bird !
You and Vince must have felt nostalgic when visiting Beverley.
Have a nice Thursday ahead!
You and Vince must have felt nostalgic when visiting Beverley.
Have a nice Thursday ahead!3 people like this
@rebelann (117251)
• El Paso, Texas
19 Jan 23
It always amazes me how anyone can paint a large image like that.
I feel sorry for people who have no interest in the internet but then to be fair it's actually been around since the 1980s and I'm sure back then some of those folks could have tried to learn a few things on it.
3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (174590)
• United States
19 Jan 23
It's considered no longer worth it to cater to older people if they can't use the internet here, too.
When I was still selling computers, tablets and phones, a lot of elderly people would ask if they could use the device to contact their bank or some other institution... Of course, the answer was "Yes." but then they'd ask if I could show them how to do that and I wasn't allowed to do that, not even on my own time. (Walmart said anything I did outside of work could reflect badly on Walmart. 
I asked if they were going to start paying me 24 hours a day. When they said no, I told them I was free to do anything I wanted when I was off the clock. My direct supervisor told me that was sort of true, but if they found out I was helping people with electronics when I was off, they'd write me up. 
)
I felt so sorry for so many of my elderly customers but I HAD to have a job and, since I'd had cancer, I couldn't get insurance through any other place besides Walmart. I'd started working for them before I was diagnosed with cancer.
I asked if they were going to start paying me 24 hours a day. When they said no, I told them I was free to do anything I wanted when I was off the clock. My direct supervisor told me that was sort of true, but if they found out I was helping people with electronics when I was off, they'd write me up. )
I felt so sorry for so many of my elderly customers but I HAD to have a job and, since I'd had cancer, I couldn't get insurance through any other place besides Walmart. I'd started working for them before I was diagnosed with cancer.3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (174590)
• United States
19 Jan 23
@JudyEv I think companies are just getting too nosy now... Like with renting a house. I pay cash every month. Why do they need to do a credit check on me? I'm not charging anything about the rental on my credit card.
It makes no sense at all why they want the information.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382324)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Jan 23
@DaddyEvil Exactly. Why do they need so much information. Birth dates are often asked for when there seems no relevance but I guess it helps to identify people.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382324)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Jan 23
I understand your dilemma at the time. There is almost as much inconvenience if you don't have/use a mobile phone. Half the time you can't sign up for anything unless you can supply a mobile number. And sometimes I really can't see how/why they need it.
2 people like this
@allknowing (153529)
• India
19 Jan 23
Funny having no banks We have three at stone' s throw away
3 people like this
@FourWalls (86768)
• United States
19 Jan 23
That is sad but true about “computers.” Back when I was a kid they had the expression “banker’s hours,” because most of the banks closed at 3 PM except on Friday (which was payday). To go from that to doing my taxes online is good for me! I’m kind of thankful that I can do everything online, but my dear aunt of blessed memory had no internet connection and couldn’t do anything but spell computer.
I love the artwork!!
3 people like this
@JudyEv (382324)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Jan 23
Banking hours here were 10am to 3pm and, I think, with an hour off for lunch!
On a slightly different subject, Vince has been trying to something online and it's just going nowhere. They can be so frustrating. The particular website seems incredibly difficult to use and it's not as if we're not familiar with websites. I guess we'll get there eventually.
2 people like this
@Tampa_girl7 (54716)
• United States
19 Jan 23
As small as our nearest town is we have a bank. I can’t imagine it closing.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (59258)
•
19 Jan 23
When I was a little girl, my grandparent's owned a cafe/store combo in a tiny country town. Their home was behind and next to their business. Grandpa bought the remaining building next to his business, and they were already joined so he just had to make an inside entrance. It was an old bank building from the 1890's. The safe was still in there, along with a coal room full of chunks of coal. I still remember how scary that safe was, the door was so heavy only Grandpa could open and shut it. He had it fixed so that no one could get locked inside, but it was still scary.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (382324)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Jan 23
The strongroom door in this bank was very heavy too and was operated with two keys. Certainly you wouldn't want to get stuck in there. The outside walls of the building had three panels of bricks separated by gaps so you had single brick, gap, single brick, gap, single brick. This makes the place really well insulated and the temperature inside was really ideal. I guess there is no steel in the walls so they had to make them strong as it's a two-storey building.
3 people like this
@Beestring (15372)
• Hong Kong
19 Jan 23
In Hong Kong, banks close quite a lot of their branches. It's inconvenient for people who don't use e-banking.
3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (51834)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
19 Jan 23
Kookaburra sits on a branch painted on the side of a bank... doesn't really scan...
When I first moved to Hamilton, that area (referred to as The Mountain) had three banks within blocks of my place. Now, there is none. There's certainly none in the area here in St Catharines where I now live. I do most of my banking on line and go to an ATM once a month to get some cash.
2 people like this
I guess it's the way of the world with the banks closing.
@snowy22315 (209024)
• United States
19 Jan 23
I always like to see murals. They are fun to see, and can brighten up a landscape.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382324)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan 23
I'm sure in some of the smaller towns, it stops some of the graffiti.
@wolfgirl569 (135847)
• Marion, Ohio
19 Jan 23
That could be an interesting place to live. Love the mural
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (222624)
• United States
19 Jan 23
How cool that your friends live in a former bank! Love the mural. All companies are starting to assume that we all have computers and smartphones. This is not the case. There are many things that I have been excluded from because I don't have a smartphone. It's not fair.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (222624)
• United States
20 Jan 23
@JudyEv It certainly is. We hardly ever use our phones and don't need a $700 phone.
1 person likes this
