Subiaco: Eat Shop Live Magazine

How I See It - by Tania Watton, Owner-Manager of Bank of Queensland, Subiaco

Told to Gabi Mills / Portrait by Matt Jelonek

Moving east to west

I moved to WA in 1994 from Sydney. St George Bank approached me to move here to establish their private bank in WA. I said yes, despite not knowing anybody in WA and I was put up at the Victoria Apartments next to the Vic Hotel here in Subiaco. The St George head office branch on St Georges Terrace was still being built and painted on my arrival. The decision to move was a difficult one as I was leaving all my family and friends in Sydney but it was a challenge I embraced as I was keen to make a difference. I have always believed that the key to my success has been by providing good old-fashioned banking and making a difference in people’s lives.

Change is good

In due course, I was approached by Bank of Queensland’s CEO David Liddy in 2004 who headhunted me to set up the first ever branch of the bank here in WA. David had the vision of the Owner-Manager model. It was the first greenfield site in WA and the first BOQ branch here in Subiaco which was where I wanted to be. It was a massive undertaking and I carefully chose the site – an old pharmacy on Rokeby Road. By then my mother in NSW had died, and I was raising two little boys – Joseph, aged two and Daniel, four at the time – on my own. We opened on April 21 in 2006 with no customers but plenty of vision.

Winning Ways

By 2007, I won the Owner-Manager of the Year award, Saleswoman and Businesswoman of the Year awards and in 2010, the iiNet Best Franchisee Award.

The local choice

I’m proud that a lot of Subiaco locals bank with us. I think my key strengths are relationship skills and networking. BOQ Subiaco helps many community groups – like St John WA and the Telethon Kids Institute – and through helping people to make connections, we can really make a difference.

The local choice

I love a live show and a good feed, and you can’t beat the Regal for putting on a great show. I often take big groups of guests along too – 16 of us saw Priscilla: Queen of the Desert recently. I’m also a member of WSBA and enjoy making new business connections. For lunch, you’ll often find me at Red Chair in the Crossways shopping centre next to our branch. They do an amazing laksa and chicken curry – and of course they’re one of our clients too.

Red Chair's laksa is amazing

My sons are everything

I’ve proudly raised Daniel and Joseph on my own and they are now both successful in their own right. Daniel has completed his Bachelor of Science and has a Masters of Commerce, and has recently joined a major accounting firm in Perth. Joseph has completed a Bachelor of Commerce and majored in Accounting and Finance, and is currently working with me at BOQ Subiaco. I’m immensely grateful to the boys’ teachers and lecturers at Shenton College and UWA - they played an integral part in Dan and Joe’s success.

Tania and her two sons, Daniel and Joseph

Subiaco is special

I think Subiaco is special because it’s like a village with a really good vibe. I could have gone anywhere in Perth but I chose Subi. There are a great many passionate business owners here who care and support the community, and many of them bank with BOQ. Because I own the bank as well as manage it, I can relate to the challenges of running a small business and I think that appeals to our clients. I offer old-fashioned service and am pretty authentic.

Risk vs reward

It was a big risk moving over from Sydney, to a place I’d never visited before. By the time I resigned from St George Bank, I was also raising two young children alone and embarking on running a demanding business. I’m proud that the risk has proved worth it and that my passion for people has paid dividends in both my career and personal life. I’ve always believed anything is possible and that in banking, putting the client at the centre of everything we do to help them achieve their personal goals and secure their financial future is what drives me and my team. You could say that helping people and finance run in my blood. My friends are my support network and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t tough along the way, but I have never got to the point where I thought I couldn’t do this anymore.