Long before online banking, banking apps and tap-and-go payments became part of everyday life, a group of local coal miners saw a need in their community.

It was 1971, and workers from the coal mining areas around Oakdale and Burragorang helped establish what would become Macarthur Credit Union — known today simply as The MAC.

More than 55 years later, those local beginnings remain an important part of the organisation’s identity.

For Camden Branch Manager Janet Russell, the story is particularly meaningful because her own family was there at the beginning.

“My grandfather was actually one of the founding members, so yeah, it’s in the family,” Janet says.

From Janet’s understanding, the credit union began when a small group of miners recognised that the district needed a local financial institution.

“It was just a small group of miners that decided that the area needed a financial institution or somewhere they could start banking,” she says.

In an era when workers were often paid cash in hand, creating a local place where people could bank provided something practical for mining families and the wider community.

Those beginnings laid the foundation for an organisation that would remain connected to the Macarthur and Wollondilly districts for generations.

A Family Connection Across Generations

For Janet, the history of The MAC isn’t something she has simply learned since joining the organisation. It has always been part of her family.

Her grandfather was among its earliest members, and many members of Janet’s family have continued banking with The MAC over the years.

Janet herself opened an account there when she was 16.

Years later, in 2002, she joined The MAC as an employee — something her grandfather was especially proud to see.

“When I first started here, he would come in every second day just to see me and go how proud he was because he’d banked here his whole life,” Janet recalls.

“He had his granddaughter, first granddaughter, working at The MAC, so he was pretty proud and would boast about it around town.”

That connection captures something of the way local institutions can become woven into family and community history. What started with miners establishing somewhere for local people to bank eventually became the place where one founding member could walk through the door decades later and see his granddaughter working behind the counter.

Growing With the District

Camden was the original base of The MAC, with the credit union later expanding its presence across the broader region.

Today, Janet says The MAC has branches servicing communities across the Macarthur and Wollondilly area, with Camden remaining its main branch and head office.

While the organisation has changed considerably since 1971, its focus on local people has remained.

“We have been going now for 55 years, and we plan to continue that too,” Janet says.

That commitment has become increasingly significant as the banking landscape has changed around Camden.

When a Bank Branch Is Part of the Town

Over Janet’s 13 years in banking, she has watched technology transform the way people manage their money.

Online banking now allows people to complete many transactions from home that once required a trip into town.

“Obviously, foot traffic in branches isn’t as big as it used to be with our online banking, and members are able to do things at home now that they used to have to come into branch to do,” she says.

But while technology has made banking more convenient for many people, Janet believes there is still an important place for face-to-face service.

“There are a lot of local members that really, really like the face-to-face service that we offer.”

The closure of other bank branches in Camden has highlighted just how important that can be.

Janet says older residents in particular have traditionally incorporated banking into their regular visits to Camden.

For some residents a trip into the town centre could include catching the bus, shopping and visiting their bank.

“They’d jump on a bus, they’d come into town, they’d do their groceries and go to the bank and do their banking,” Janet says.

When a branch disappears, it can disrupt much more than a financial transaction. It can change a longstanding routine and remove an opportunity to deal with someone face to face.

The MAC has seen some customers from other institutions looking for an alternative because they still value that personal contact.

For some people, online banking can also be intimidating, particularly with growing concerns about scams and fraud.

Janet says The MAC works with members to help them understand technology and recognise warning signs, including suspicious phone calls and emails, unknown links and requests to transfer money.

If something doesn’t feel right, being able to speak directly with someone can make an important difference.

Local People Helping Local People

Today Janet manages The MAC’s Camden branch and also specialises in lending.

The branch offers home, car, personal and business lending, with home loans forming a significant part of its lending activity.

But Janet says the local connection is about more than financial products.

“We all live local, and banking local’s just that extra thing we offer,” she says.

“We are here. We’re face to face. We’re happy to help. We’re local, so we understand the local community.”

The MAC also supports the community through local fundraisers, sporting events and sponsorship of local teams.

It is a continuation, in many ways, of the same philosophy that led a group of coal miners to establish their own financial institution more than five decades ago — local people creating something to meet the needs of other local people.

Still at Home in Camden

Janet’s connection to Camden extends well beyond her work.

She grew up at nearby The Oaks and moved to Camden when she was around 16. Her friends and family have largely remained in the area, and her three daughters attended primary school locally.

“I love Camden,” Janet says.

“I love the country feel.”

It is fitting that Janet now works for an organisation whose own history is so closely tied to the district.

From the coal miners of Oakdale and Burragorang who helped establish it in 1971, through generations of local families who have banked there, to the people who still walk into the Camden branch today, The MAC’s story is part of a much broader story about this region.

Industries have changed. Technology has changed. The way people bank has changed enormously.

But more than 55 years after a small group of local miners saw a need and decided to do something about it, one idea has endured — the value of locals supporting locals.