29th January 2022 – In Wagga’s Past – 25 and 50 Years ago.

Compiled from the Daily Advertiser

by the Wagga Wagga & District Historical Society

25 Years Ago

• Rodney Parsons was named as Wagga’s Citizen of the Year during the official Australia Day ceremony at the Botanic Gardens with Darren Coggan winning the Young Citizen of the Year award.

• Stan Sadleir, Amanda Thorneycroft, Joan Saboisky and Mona Collins were also recognised with achievement awards during the ceremony.

• Thelma Jolliffe became the eighth winner of the Ted Ryder Memorial Sports Award.

• A report submitted to Wagga City Council by director, Gary Wells said that Wagga’s roads are breaking up and lower standards of maintenance are being applied as Council expenditure increasingly fails to meet the needs of the community.

• After months of speculation Australia Post has announced that it will open an outlet in the new Wagga Marketplace following closure of both its Best Place and Baylis Centre outlets.

• Wagga’s Sizzler restaurant announced that it will close on February 9 with the loss of up to 70 jobs.

• New Commandant at the First Recruit Training Battalion, Colonel Mark Sampson, believes Kapooka is the best command in the Australian Army for a full Colonel.

• Wagga City Council placed $149,000 on the draft estimates towards the proposed Equex multi-purpose centre.

• Retired Wagga Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) officer Colin Goldspink has been presented with an Australia Day achievement award recognising more than 40 years to the Australian Public Service.

• Mayor of Wagga, Cr Peter Dale will hold a series of public information sessions in an attempt to overcome negative perceptions of the city council.

• Wagga photographer, John Egan, is one of only three Australian photographers to have earned the title of certified professional photographer awarded by the Professional Photographers of America.

• Tourist Officer, Cheryl Douglas said 2835 people had visited the Wagga Tourist Information Centre in January so far compared with 2628 visitors in January last year.

• Wagga softball sensation, Brooke Fraunfelder has been chosen in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games softball training squad.

50 Years Ago

• Details of a two-stage plan to replace the Edward Street level crossing with an underpass were announced by Member for Wagga, Mr Wal Fife following a conference with Wagga’s Mayor, Ald Morris Gissing.

• A senior officer of the Bureau of Census and Statistics in Canberra said that detailed 1971 census figures to be released shortly would show that Wagga’s population was now more than 30,000.

• Speaking at a presentation of long service medals to six policemen in Wagga, the Mayor, Morris Gissing said it was pleasing to see that the Wagga Police District had the best crime detection rate of any police district in NSW.

• RVN-2 personality, Lloyd Barwell, who is also president of the Wagga branch of the Arts Council has been elected as a member of the country representative’s executive of the NSW Division of the Arts Council.

• The Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC) celebrated the 25^th anniversary of its sporting weekends in Wagga with staff attending a variety of sporting and social events in Wagga over two days.

• Wagga Leagues Club is being given a $65,000 facelift expected to be completed in about 10 weeks.

• Mr Bob Blacklow was elected as Chairman of the Wagga School of Arts Players following the retirement of Peter Barton.

• The Wagga Rodeo Club is staging its 29^th rodeo at the Wagga Showground.

• Wagga Technical College principal, Mr E J Ellis said that nurses entrance exams are being held this week with exams including English, mathematics, and general knowledge.

• Mr Ellis also announced that a new course called Farm Technology would be introduced at Wagga Technical College this year.

• Commonwealth Public Service Board officials are disappointed with the Wagga response to this years Commonwealth Secretarial Class with only 12 of the expected 35 students enrolling.

• Riverina Business supplies with managing director, Eric Byfield and sales director, David Byfield are celebrating their 10^th birthday.

• Wagga ratepayers can now apply to pay their rates in four instalments and pensioners can apply to reduce their rates by up to 50%.

• Edmondson’s are advertising Sorbent toilet rolls for 14 cents, Golden Circle canned pineapple pieces, 29 oz for 28 cents and Colgate economy size toothpaste for 35 cents.

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