Help Save The Old Toora Bank Of Victoria!
Update
08 Jun 2024
Hello treasured BOVvers.
The two-storey bank you can see in this picture is the former Union Bank in Toora. At right is YOUR bank, the old Bank Of Victoria.
Today I'd like to pay tribute to the people I'm calling The Anonymi, those kind souls who for one reason or another have donated anonymously. I'm unable to thank you personally in this case, so I wanted to take the opportunity to say a very sincere THANK YOU on behalf of Andrew and myself.
Our anonymous donations have ranged from heartwarming gifts of $10 (x2), $15, $20, $25, $45, $50 (x2), all the way through to $250 and $500.
If you look through that list and spot your contribution, we want you to know much we have appreciated your generosity.
With our love, Anne & Andrew.
Update
30 May 2024
Hello BOV*-lovers!
Yesterday we received via mycause a $10 donation, which we TREASURED!!
With offline donations included, we're delighted to let you know we've cracked the $10,000 mark in our campaign.
At right in this picture (taken by Andrew from the top of a very long extension ladder on which he spends a lot of his time these days), you can see the wonderful progress he's making in carefully removing the layers of old paint from the building. Your generosity allows him to spend the time necessary for this painstaking task.
At left you can see another of Toora's iconic buildings, the former Union Bank.
*Bank Of Victoria
Update
21 May 2024
Hello lovely BOVver Boys and Girls! (BOV = Bank of Victoria of course ...)
Here's a picture of your favourite old bank taken from inside the work-in-progress just across the road in Toora ... Red Pig Historic Bakery.
Andrew Scott (BOV) and I are both passionate about our projects, restoring and preserving the built heritage of Toora for generations to come. The only difference is that Life's vagaries have put me in a position where I can finance my project myself, and Andrew in a position where he can not.
That's where you've come in: generous souls who given without questioning, encouraged with your dollars and your kind words, and given Andrew so much energy to continue.
We love you. Thank you.
Update
19 May 2024
Thank you to all our lovely donors! We are slowly but surely building a loyal network of generous souls who want to support Andrew in his monumental task, which will be of great benefit to Toora.
Here's a photo of Andrew last week, jubilant at having successfully removed the curved casement from the first of the three gorgeous windows on the facade. He also managed to extricate the original glass, which is extremely thin, without damage.
The skills needed to attempt a restoration like this are very specialised, and Toora is very lucky that Andrew, unlike any of the other owners of the property since 1942, possesses them.
Please share our update with anyone you think may like to be involved by making a donation, no matter how small.
Talk soon, Anne.
Update
08 May 2024
We are SO grateful to the kind people ... yes, that's you! ... who have jumped in so quickly to help Andrew Scott turn this mammoth passion project into a reality after so many years. Your moral support and encouragement have meant as much to us as your very generous donations.
This picture was taken soon after the bank opened in 1906, and nearly 12 decades on, Andrew is delighted by the general soundness of the building despite the significant deterioration of the facade. When he first bought the property in 2008, he commenced restoration work at the rear, which at that time was the section most in need of repair.
in 2024, at a time when his life circumstances have allowed him to return to the task he began fifteen years ago, your financial support has ensured that Andrew has the means to apply himself with the same dedication and skill to the facade.
Thank you again most sincerely. We're looking forward to keeping you up to date with the project and giving you some of the history of the building.
DONATIONS60
Helen Legg
Tue, 8 Oct 2024
$ 50
Best of luck with this awesome effort to restore such an icon of a building
Best of luck with this awesome effort to restore such an icon of a building
$ 50
Sandy Black
Thu, 12 Sep 2024
$ 200
i am a tourist from Melbourne who upon stopping randomly in Toora felt a real connection with the little town - i have since been back a couple of times - i found Anne Roussac to be a true ambassador for the little township and an inspiring person - good luck with both the bakery and the bank restoration Toora!
i am a tourist from Melbourne who upon stopping randomly in Toora felt a real connection with the little town - i have since been back a couple of times - i found Anne Roussac to be a true ambassador for the little township and an inspiring person - good luck with both the bakery and the bank restoration Toora!
$ 200
GUILIO MARCOLONGO
Thu, 18 Jul 2024
$ 50
Forwarding your wonderful donation, Guilio. It's so heartwarming for me to see Rare Earth Studio Gallery artists supporting this project which sits just across the road from the gallery. With sincere thanks from Andrew and myself. Anne xx
Forwarding your wonderful donation, Guilio. It's so heartwarming for me to see Rare Earth Studio Gallery artists supporting this project which sits just across the road from the gallery. With sincere thanks from Andrew and myself. Anne xx
$ 50
Sam Gillespie
Sun, 14 Jul 2024
$ 25
Look forward to watching the progress of restoring this historic building
Look forward to watching the progress of restoring this historic building
$ 25
Cheryl Kane
Sun, 14 Jul 2024
$ 10
Passing on your kind donation, Cheryl.
Passing on your kind donation, Cheryl.
$ 10
IGA Toora
Sun, 14 Jul 2024
$ 20
Thanks to all who donated at the Toora IGA, and to owner Anish Singla for a making space on his counter for our box.
Thanks to all who donated at the Toora IGA, and to owner Anish Singla for a making space on his counter for our box.
$ 20
Helen Swaine
Sat, 13 Jul 2024
$ 50
Looking forward to visiting Toora once again. So many changes since our last visit in 2022.
Looking forward to visiting Toora once again. So many changes since our last visit in 2022.
$ 50