COMMUNITY leaders lined up to pay well earned tributes to health insurer Westfund at the official opening of the fund’s new national headquarters in Railway Parade.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Westfund has been utilising the one time Lithgow Co-op premises for its administration staff for some years.
But the heritage building — dating back to the 1920s and which in a former life housed the Co-op’s office staff and haberdashery department — was in need of internal upgrading to meet modern workplace expectations.
And after an investment of $1.5 million on a refit it is top class accommodation for Westfund’s ever increasing staff.
Apart from general office staff the building houses executive offices, meeting room and a board room.
Guest speakers at the open air launch ceremony in the centre’s courtyard included Mayor Maree Statham. State Member Paul Toole and Federal Member John Cobb.
All referred to the important role Westfund was playing not only in providing services across the region and into the Queensland coalfields but as a major employer.
It is one of Lithgow’s biggest ‘white collar’ and professional employers with more than 80 staff members involved in member services and the dental and eyewear centres.
Westfund board chairman Howard Fisher said the fund had been an innovator when it had its beginnings in a union self help movement early last century and those far sighted pioneers would never have imagined today’s growth.
“We’re proud of the fact that a fund based in Lithgow can compete successfully against the much bigger national funds with their huge resources,” he said.
Mr Fisher said Westfund was proud of its roots in Lithgow and had rejected a little known suggestion some years ago that the head office should be relocated to Canberra.
He paid compliment to the board members from across a wide community representation and to the staff.
Westfund CEO Grahame Danaher said an indication of Westfund success was the fact that members came from as far away as Hervey Bay in Queensland to have treatment at the dental centre in Lithgow.
He said demand for the dental service was ever increasing, resulting in unavoidable waiting lists.
Mr Danaher referred to a long term plan to redevelop the old Lithgow RSL Club purchased by the fund this year ‘and clean up that area’.
He said that work was also progressing on the old Commonwealth Bank premises in Lithgow also purchased by the fund but now promising increased job opportunities with a lease to a NSW Government department.
