A trip down memory lane with Ritta Malkoun

“I was one of the first people in the Member Response Centre and helping members with Telepay, where we’d take their instructions and conduct transactions for them. It was basically the start of the contact centre and we loved it.”

Ritta describes the team and environment as supportive and friendly.

“It was a very cool time, and we had a lot of fun being a new department and helping each other as well as members.”

Ritta’s plan was to work for a year before taking off and travelling, which she did.

“That was the plan, to save up for a year and head off. I went to Europe and it was amazing. I learned so much from that year overseas. I have adult children now and encourage them to travel and see the world. One of them went away earlier this year. They were away six weeks, whereas I was gone for almost a year. It was an awesome time. A very different time of my life, but I loved it.”

On returning home, Ritta had a little break before Police Credit reached out. A new department was being set up to help members with loan applications and faster review and approval times.

“I got a call from Jackie Hannon, who was a manager then and went on to become an executive, and they were setting up ‘Phone A Loan’ to help members with quicker loan applications. We had a chat and I came back to work in that new department.”

That function of the bank would become Ritta’s workplace home – she works in Lending Operations nowadays and helps to finalise loans, but in a much different way.

“In the earlier days of reviewing loans, we used to have big folders with all the information and documentation we needed. Things would be faxed to us and added to the folders. We would do the loan, fund it the day before, and print out cheques. Two people had to sign the cheques and so it was a longer and more manual process. We would have a courier come and pick up our cheques every day in the afternoon, and send them to the bank’s solicitors. Nowadays it’s all computerised and members give us authorisation so we can transfer the money. Very different to how it used to be.”

Ritta says some of her longest and closest friendships are with people she has worked with since she began working with Police Credit.

“We all socialised together, and had our lunch hour at the same time. We’d meet out in the car park and have a coffee and grab some fresh air together – or not so fresh for some, as was the way back then. The car park was the place to be!”

Gabby Bradford, another longtime BankVic team member, was there in those days too.

“Gab and I have worked together for such a long time. In different roles and departments, but we’ve known each other and worked together for all those years. Some of my best friends I met through work, and we catch up regularly – those who are still here and some others who aren’t.”

There has been plenty of change in Ritta’s time here, and some things have remained the same.

“They were good times. We worked hard and we socialised as friends, and it was a big period of life for a lot of us.”

“Some of the change has been fantastic. In terms of the work, it’s so different now, just from the technology. We’re amazing now compared to what we were. And BankVic promotes from within a lot of the time, so that’s great for people’s careers. We are a lot more socially aware now and support causes that help people.”

Ritta knows why she’s stayed so long with Police Credit and BankVic.

“I have fantastic memories. Good times, good people. I know it’s hard for people to understand why some of us have been here so long, but we stay because of the people and we stay because it’s BankVic.”