Gary Sanford is the manager of the Rye & District Community Bank, Bendigo Bank. The branch is Bendigo Bank's largest individual community bank branch and is one of the newest, having been established in 2001.

Gary has been in banking since he left school in 1976 when he joined the State Bank in Rye. A long-term resident of the Peninsula, Gary has worked in most facets of the industry starting as a teller and progressing to human resources, training and branch management.

As inaugural manager of the Rye & District branch, Gary is committed to the bank's role in supporting the Peninsula and speaks with pride about his and the bank's achievements in strengthening the local community through its grants to community organisations such as schools, sporting clubs, volunteer and community groups.

Since the Rye & District branch commenced trading four years ago, Gary has got to know the Peninsula well and developed relationships with a wide range of community groups. He has a strong commitment to ensuring that local families and youth have their needs met by organisations that the bank supports through its grants scheme.

Gary believes that businesses have a responsibility to support the communities in which they trade and that inevitably they will benefit as a result. The Rye & District Community Bank, Bendigo Bank is an excellent example where the bank's good reputation in caring for its community has been very good for business.