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Lithgow’s First Family
As Family First Bank merged with Beyond Bank a few months ago, we thought we’d keep the Family First flame alive with this short video celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2007.
The video was shot in what was then Family First Credit Union’s Lithgow branch by archives volunteer, John Lee. Long time Family First Chair, John Kelly, makes a speech and cuts the cake and Wes Anderson, Family First General Manager from 1975-2004, is also present.
Family First Bank was begun in 1967 as SAF Employees Credit Union, by and for employees of Lithgow’s famous Small Arms Factory. After they switched their industrial bond to a mutual one (blending an industrial base with community membership), they changed their name to Lithgow Mutual Credit Union in 1975.
There were mergers with Hartley Local Government Employees Credit Union and Lithgow Store Credit Union in the 1970s before the name was changed to Family First Credit Union in 1998 to encourage growth. It became Family First Bank in 2021 before finally merging with Beyond Bank in March.