Former Wollongong residents Ken and June Banks are setting a national tourism benchmark for hosted accommodation with their popular holiday apartments on the South Coast. GREG ELLIS reports on how their love of the beach started a long time ago as teenagers, when he competed nationally in surf lifesaving and she was a champion athlete.
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As teenagers growing up in Wollongong Ken Banks was a member of the Wollongong Surf Life Saving Club and part of a team that won a national junior title, while June Banks was one of the best young athletes in NSW.
Now in semi-retirement the couple run one of Australia’s most awarded tourism businesses.
Mollymook Beach Waterfront Apartments is a three-time gold-award winner for hosted accommodation at the NSW Tourism Awards and multi-silver award winner at the Australian Tourism Awards.
It’s not only the incredible views at Mollymook that have won them industry recognition, but their attention to detail, focus on privacy, customer service and product quality.
That same vision and drive made them successful in roles spanning everything from farming to running giant power stations.
Along with recognition at the NSW and Australian Tourism Awards they have also taken out the National TakeABreak Award for Best Beach Accommodation and the People's Choice Beach Accommodation Award. The best in Australia status included the Tourism Champion Award at the National Small Business Awards.
Mollymook Beach Waterfront is one of a few South Coast attractions that has continually been able to taste national success and achieve more than 99 per cent occupancy.
The Banks attract rave reviews on TripAdvisor and TakeABreak for their 4.5-star luxury executive accommodation.
Their target market are couples interested in a quiet and peaceful location with views of dolphins surfing and whales migrating.
The Banks entered the accommodation industry in 2001 when they took over management of the four-star Mollymook Cove Apartments. They developed Mollymook Seaview in 2007 and acquired the site for Mollymook Beach Waterfront around the same time.
Their love of the foreshore started as teenagers when Ken was involved in surf lifesaving and June was a state level athlete. His family lived at Fairy Meadow and hers at Warilla, but she went to Kiama High School.
“I played soccer for South Coast United, I played first grade football with Wollongong, I was in the Wollongong Surf Life Saving Club and in 1961/62 we were NSW and Australian junior champions. There is a photo of us in the Hall of Fame at Wollongong Surf Club,” Ken said.
June, 68, was a NSW champion athlete, but because of that was encouraged not to swim. They still managed to meet near the water, however.
“I was competing in a surf carnival at Warilla in November 1964 and I asked Vic Strong, who I did my apprenticeship with at the steelworks, who these girls were I saw walking up the beach,’’ recalled Ken.
“He said one was June Forest. Because I just lived for sport I used to always read the sport pages … and I knew she was a state champion runner. When Vic mentioned that was who it was I asked him to introduce me to her.
“She was not allowed to go out until she finished her leaving certificate. We met the followed week and went out a week or so later at the Crown Theatre in Wollongong. And I still remember the name of the movie.”
Around the time they met, Ken bought a milk run at Keiraville and later a second run at Emu Plains. They married in 1966 and moved to Emu Plains in 1967 before selling that run in 1972 and buying a farm near Bathurst. He managed an engineering company that build electric locomotives and traction motors and she managed the farm.
“In 1985 we sold the farm (a Murray Grey Stud) when a commercial manager’s job came up at the power station (Wallerawang),’’ Ken said.
“At Wang we had about 650 staff. They selected myself and three others to go and start up the $2 billion Mount Piper power station. And we ran it with 95 staff.”
Mollymook appeared on the radar when the couple were looking for somewhere to semi-retire.
“Mollymook Cove Holiday Apartments wanted a property manager. I thought this was an opportunity to break away from what we had been doing. We still needed to work so we used our super to buy into Mollymook Cove,” Ken said.
They took the occupancy rate from 19 per cent to 90 per cent within 12 months. That sparked interest from others wanting to buy the business.
They accepted an offer and developed Mollymook Beach Seaview. But their eye was on a three bedroom house that came on the market in 2007. That meant they could build what they really had in mind in the location with their favourite view in Mollymook. It open at Christmas in 2009.
The quiet haven they created for couples wanting to escape was recognised nationally and many guests have become repeat customers.
Some just like coming back to watch the waves roll in all day on a famous surfing break from the comfort of their room.
“We have magnificent surf. It is just something special here. We are booked out every day of the year,” Ken said.
Their family loves the area so much that one of their three sons, Paul Banks, a merchant banker who lives in Victoria, is building holiday apartments on a site previously occupied by a fibro cottage.
The whole family believes the key to any business is talking to people about what they like and don’t like.
“With Aussies when they come here they want their privacy,” Ken said.
“We have not had one bad comment on TripAdvisor. We are full all the time.
“My son has a place over at Beach View that I look after because he lives in Victoria, and we keep it full all the time just with people who can’t get in here.”
Around 60 per cent of business comes from Sydney and the rest is from Canberra, Victoria, Wollongong, country NSW and overseas. More than half the bookings are repeat business.
Mrs Banks said his family worked well as a team. Another son Steven Banks lives at Vincentia and David Banks runs Aquarius in Mollymook. They also have a daughter named Leah.
The one thing that has never changed since the couple first met on that beach at Warilla more than half a century ago is that he still starts every day in the water with a swim and she is still on the track – only now it is walking the dog.
Mr Banks is so passionate about the industry, the area and giving people a good experience he created the website destinationmollymookmiltonulladulla.com.
He invites guests to give feedback on local restaurants and attractions for other guests to read.
Among their favourites is Tallwood, located near Mollymook Beach. It features an open kitchen and work from renowned artists such as Elizabeth Langreiter.
Nearly all ingredients are sourced locally by head chef and co-owner Matt Upson who started in the industry two decades in South Australia before working with some leading Australian chefs and everywhere from Kangaroo Island to Lord Howe Island. His co-owner is Clayton Till.