Bank of Australasia (Royal Bank of Qld), Corner George & Herschel Streets, Brisbane, Queensland

Jack Bain worked for the Bank of Australasia and then the ANZ bank from October 1951. He worked in many branches over his career from the 1920s to his retirement in 1966. The building leased by the Royal Bank Of Qld at 458-460 George Street was built in 1885 as an investment property for Terence Byrne, of Mitchell. Prominent Brisbane architect Richard Gailey designed the two-storey masonry building which accommodated two separate shops. The Royal Bank of Queensland moved into the shopfront that faced both George and Herschel (then spelt Herschell) Streets in 1888. The bank vault still extant in the basement of the building dates back to the Royal Bank of Queensland tenancy though it may have been included in original construction in 1885. In July 1950, the property was sold to the Bank of Australasia. The building had been sub-divided into two retail premises that both fronted George Street. So the Bank of Australasia occupied the corner spot and leased the other section of the building to McKenzies Shoe S...