Compiled from the Daily Advertiser
by the Wagga Wagga & District Historical Society
25 Years Ago
- Former Kooringal High School student, Katie Chambers, daughter of Professor Ross and Pam Chambers was the Riverina’s top performer in the 1996 Higher School Certificate with a TER of 99.7.
- Wagga Credit Union general manager, Wal Gillard, announced the closure in February of their Sturt Mall branch and the opening of a new branch at the Kooringal Mall with trading hours extended to almost 50 hours per week.
- Eighteen talented youngsters, including Justin Ward and Chris Hyde are joining former Australian cricket coach, Bob Simpson at a three-day training camp at Wagga.
- Real Estate Agent, Milton Breust while favouring some improvements said that main street changes planned by Wagga City Council go too far, threatening its prime business purpose.
- Baylis Street retailer, John Ricardo has questioned the loss of car parking space in proposed plans for redevelopment of the main street.
- Former Wagga woman, Suzanne Vardon has been appointed as the chief executive officer of the Commonwealth’s new services delivery agency.
- Regional manager, James Pink blamed a lack of community response for the Department of Sport and Recreation’s cancellation of its annual January “Holiday Happenings” children’s recreational programs in the Riverina.
- Public relations officer, Jim Booth said a reported drop in numbers of school leavers applying for tertiary education is not expected to affect Charles Sturt University’s Wagga campus.
- A vicious attack by vandals on a block of units in Mount Austin left residents angered and disgusted in the latest incident of an ongoing campaign of harassment.
- NSW TAB announced that more than $50,000 in unclaimed dividends and refunds is waiting to be claimed in the Wagga area.
- Turvey Park Australian Football Club foundation member, Irlene Nye, celebrated her 8oth birthday as guest of honour at a dinner in the Jezza Room at the Riverina Australian Football Club.
- Kooringal Rotary Club member, Frank Seymour said that the club had launched an appeal to provide the south-west regional office of the NSW Cancer Council with a fitted van to promote cancer awareness.
50 Years Ago
- 3,000 people crammed the Wagga swimming pool and hundreds more went to the Murrumbidgee River and Lake Albert as the temperature soared to 97 degrees.
- Top performing students at Wagga High Schools in last year’s Higher School Certificate included Maureen Murphy, Philip Gissing, Peter Harper, Paul McCoy, and Barry Pokoney.
- Edmondson’s is celebrating its new store over three floors with escalators opening this week.
- Cricket selectors have announced a team of in form players to challenge Hay for the O’Farrell Cup this week including four new faces, Mike Larkins, Terry Boyd, Warren Smith, and Bill McCaig.
- Former Wagga sportsman of the 1950’s, Mr Ronald Dubedat, has returned to Wagga as Divisional Engineer with the Department of Main Roads, replacing Mr G Penny.
- Seventeen-year-old Wagga High School student, Jan Buchanan is leaving this week to spend 12 months as a Rotary Exchange student at Marshalltown, Iowa in the United States.
- Riverina Sawmilling Company in Hammond Avenue, founded almost 35 years ago by the late Mr Fred White, will close next week throwing 46 men out of work.
- Wagga police warned that they may take action against children who ride bicycles on footpaths following an increase in complaints from shoppers claiming to be hit by bicycles.
- Norm McLennan, Bede Beazely, Jack McGinn, and Bob Thomson were among those completing in the Business Houses Golf Competition.
- About 60 mutton workers went on strike at the Wagga abattoir claiming insufficient men to cope with the number of sheep to be slaughtered.
- Twenty-seven members of the Wagga Swimming Club are travelling to Griffith for the second open district carnival.
- The Greeta Collins Gallery with a permanent exhibition of paintings by local, interstate, and overseas artists is open at St Georges Court in Gurwood Street.
- Wagga Golf Club, President, Les Bagley said it was unlikely that the club would revive the Wagga Open professional tournament last held in 1970.
- Drilling will start to determine the extent of underground water supplies at the Wagga Cricket Ground, North Wagga Sportsground and Bolton Park.
- City pound officer, Mr R Makepeace reported that 366 dogs have been impounded in Wagga since July.
- Bruce Angel, Heather Bell, Julie Hudson, and Ross Chapman are the newly elected office bearers at the Gregadoo Rural Youth Club.
- Margaret Dent 11, Judith Limberger 12, Deidre Roach 10, and Anne Mitchell were among those attending coaching lessons at the Wagga Leagues Club Tennis Club with members of the Linton Cup team.
- Bookings have opened for the Wagga Golf Club Dinner Dance.
Membership of the Wagga Wagga and District Historical Society is open to anyone with an interest in the local and regional history of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. For more information about us and information on how to join our Society visit our website at https://www.wwdhs.org.au/about-us/members
