The Border Post reported that "the building is completed in a very handsome style ... an ornament to the town and a standing monument testifying the value of Albury granite as a building material, and Albury workmanship". In August 1879, while manager Jones was on holiday in England, a fire started in the Imperial Hotel next door, destroying that building and spreading to the bank.

Newspapers commented of the bank "nothing now remains but the stone walls. It was completely gutted, with the exception of the strongroom". Gold, notes, documents, books etc were recovered from the strongroom and "found quite intact".

Restoration started in 1882 but by then the Bank of NSW had purchased George Day's property and the bank moved to the site that Westpac Bank occupies (2020) in Dean Street.

The bank retained ownership of Kia Ora until 1920.

The first reference found to the building as Kia Ora is in a Border Morning Mail advert inserted by Mrs Austin in December 1903.

Residents have included future NSW Premier and Federal Treasurer Sir William Lyne, Albury Mayor Alfred Waugh and builder of the Albury War Memorial, Thomas Bartleson (he added a front verandah in the 1920s).

Chenery brothers operated their Stock & Station Agency from the building in the late 1800s.

In June 1908, it became home to the "Albury School of Music" under Howard Douglas Tracy, teaching piano, singing, violin, elocution and German.

Frederick John Delbridge operated from Kia Ora as a herbalist in 1920. He moved to Wollongong soon after the Albury coroner at an inquest into the death of a patient described Delbridge as "an imposter" with "no qualifications, imposing on the credulity of the public and charging exorbitant fees."

Advertised for auction by Mrs Delbridge in March 1922, the property was described as a "Magnificent two-storey building. Eleven living rooms, sleeping-out rooms, bath, laundry, electric light, hot and cold water, gas, sewered, complete motor garage for two cars, man's room, and outbuildings."

The NSW Health Department completed an excellent restoration of the building in 1989 under heritage architect Kenneth Young.

The verandah was removed, stone outer walls half a metre thick were repointed and scrubbed.

The front doors were missing but original drawings were used to build replacements - the windows were original.

Sometime later Kia Ora again became a private residence.

Cathy McGowan is guest speaker at next Wednesday's Albury and District Historical Society's general meeting.

See https://alburyhistory.org.au/meetings/ for details.

All visitors are welcome to attend.