Griffith’s first female bank teller pioneers all-women financial service

When Mary Gonzo got her first banking job at ANZ in 1971, the industry was so male-dominated that even the bank tellers were all men.

“A teller was considered a man’s job back then. The guys carried pistols with them when they transferred cash. The women at the banks worked as typists,” she said.

“But I spoke Italian and that was handy because many of our customers in Griffith couldn’t speak English well. My bosses recognised that skill, and by 1973 I became the first female bank teller in town.

“After that, it became acceptable, and we started to see a lot of women become tellers and take up more senior jobs in banking.”

Ms Gonzo has continued to be a trailblazer in the industry. For the past 22 years, she has managed her own credit advisory company – MIA Financial Services – which has an exclusively female staff.

“We are all girls and we all have an Italian background,” she said.

“It’s unusual in the banking and finance sector, but it’s not something we planned. Men just haven’t applied for jobs with us.

“We’d be happy for one to come along but I think we probably scare them away.”

Alexandra Geddes has been employed in the company since 2019 and said the all-girl team works well.

“When one of us is in a mood, we are all in a mood,” she said. “But we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

MIA Financial Services is also very much a family business. Ms Gonzo’s daughter Tiffany Foscarini started working with mum at age 16. Another 16 years later she is still at the company.

Though currently on maternity leave, Mary’s daughter-in-law Andrea Gonzo is also employed as a credit advisor.

The team are noted around Griffith for their relaxed, friendly approach to financial advice and for not going for the hard sell.

For many years, they offered a range of financial services but now focus on lending.

Finance has changed considerably since Ms Gonzo began in the sector more than half a century ago.

“When I first started, tellers didn’t even have a calculator. We had to count by hand. Everything was done manually,” she said.

“It’s all computerised now but I’m not sure if that’s made banks better or worse.

“It was also the case that women in banking had to resign as soon as they got married. Fortunately they scrapped that rule in the mid-1970s and I was able to keep my job after my wedding.”

Ms Gonzo said women are treated a lot better in the industry these days. Despite now being a grandmother, she has no plans to give up the game.

“For me, this is not a job; it’s enjoyment,” she said.

“I could easily retire, sell the business and just stay at home. But it’s something I really want to do.”