Community & Business
11 April, 2024
Old bank reveals its charm
A momentous occasion three years in the making for owners Doug and Liz White was realised last Wednesday, April 3, when The Old Bank Café opened its doors to customers.
A momentous occasion three years in the making for owners Doug and Liz White was realised last Wednesday, April 3, when The Old Bank Café opened its doors to customers. Run as a “café and [curio] store,” as described by Liz, The Old Bank aims to be a warm social space for the Gilgandra community.
Renovations of the historic building at the top end of Miller Street have been an ongoing community effort for over a year. Doug and Liz wanted to make use of as many local trades and businesses as possible, keeping the building and its nearly 100-year history as close to the community as possible. “We’re so lucky to have the support we do,” Liz commented to The Gilgandra Weekly. “We have so much gratitude for the skill and expertise, knowledge, patience, and understanding of all our tradesmen and tradie ladies,” the Whites continued in a recent social media post.
Liz said that a large part of their vision for The Old Bank is to provide a place for people to gather and build a sense of community. “We want to give back to the [town] which has done so much for us… It’s so satisfying seeing people connect with the building and draw it back into community life after being empty for all these years,” she continued.
Doug and Liz have owned the historic building for three years with the intent to open a business and lead a quiet life in Gilgandra. The building changed hands several times before the Whites came forward. First owned and constructed by the Union Bank in 1927, the building was then operated as the Gilgandra District ambulance station during World War II. Since then, it has been multiple storefronts, including Movie Mania for nearly a decade.
Liz herself has history with the building, working her first job there when it was home to a state bank. The site itself isn’t the only historic feature of The Old Bank. Customers will notice the cut glass windows along the entrance side of the building, made from the reclaimed original windows of Nana Kelly’s ABC Café. The glass was generously restored by local artist Joe Shalhoub and donated for use by The Old Bank.
Liz hopes that the windows will be seen by locals “in memory of Nana Kelly, who was such an important local figure.” In the coming months, the couple hope to finish works on the yard section of the block and open it to the public. They are also interested in hosting events, something spurred by the “surprising” amount of people who have inquired since the opening. “[This is] exactly what we hoped for,” commented Liz. “The Gilgandra community has been so helpful to us. [We] feel honoured to be quickly welcomed into the community.”
