Compiled from the Daily Advertiser
by the Wagga Wagga & District Historical Society
25 Years Ago
- Long-serving members of the Wagga Ratepayers and Citizens Association, Helen Frisby and Eric Blair were honoured with life membership.
- Roads and Transport Minister, Carl Scully confirmed that he would attend the opening of Wagga’s Gobba Bridge on 26th July.
- Member for Riverina, Noel Hicks opened a new activity room at Caloola Court with the help of Cedric Lodge, husband of the late Catherine Victoria Lodge, who funded the extension.
- Navy Lieutenant Commander Michael Rock arrived by helicopter at Trinity Senior High School, Mt Austin High School, and Kooringal High School to present $1,000 Scholarships to Libby Heard, Chantelle Dixon and Emma Jamieson.
- Ray Beddoe, who joined Wagga City Council in 1973 and five years later succeeded Charles Krummel, heading up the city’s gas business will leave Council soon with the imminent sale of the natural gas business to Great Southern Energy.
- Member for Wagga, Joe Schipp, publicly divorced himself from a call by the State Liberal Party Leader, Peter Collins, for a national apology to Aboriginal children affected by past government policies.
- First Wagga Cubs and Scouts including Melanie Medlen and Lee Salmon planted 700 grey box trees at Kapooka for their Landcare Badges.
- Australia international team representatives Norma Richardson and her sister Joyce McKee won the Central Riverina District Women’s Bowling Association Championship pairs at the Wagga RSL Club.
- Anne Fealy of Kooringal Fashions was announced as the winner of the Golden Gown and Riverina Wool Combing window display competition.
- Wagga Showground secretary-manager, Bruce Mulqueeney, said that the showgrounds were one of the first places in Wagga where salinity “raised its ugly head” with $60,500 spent to date on remediation.
- More than 350 senior school students visited a rural health careers expo organised by the Riverina Rural Health Training Unit.
- Murrumbidgee Life Education Centre is celebrating its 10th Anniversary.
- Justin Quinten won the Sid Demmery Memorial Cycle Race.
- Little remains of the City Council administration complex as Albury firm, Colin Joss and Co. work quickly to demolish it and make room for the new civic centre complex.
- John Hodges was elected president of the Wagga and District Cricket Association taking over from Jack Misson.
- Former Albury police inspector, Richard Cleaver will head up the Wagga Local Area Command within the newly formed Murray-Riverina police region led by Regional Commander, Eric Gollan.
50 Years Ago
- A 40-bed geriatric hospital costing $700,000 will be built by the Sisters of Compassion who already operate the Home of Compassion in Fox Street.
- Three thousand tins and jars of jams and preserves and $88 were collected in the jam drive held by Apex Clubs, Boy Scouts, and a number of Wagga High School students.
- The owner of an “extremely dirty” Wagga cafe was fined $140 on charges of having unclean premises and an unclean food receptacle.
- Late night trading is proving to be more successful for larger stores but not so much for smaller retailers.
- Mr Frederick Charles (Dick) Jourdain has taken over from Mr Bill Lampe as secretary of the Wagga Show Society.
- An annual bowls tournament in support of the Wagga Police Citizens Boys Club was played on the greens of four Wagga Bowling Clubs attracting 384 players and raising $1622.
- Wagga’s mayoress, Mrs M H Gissing carried on the tradition of mayoress, cutting the 36th-anniversary cake of the Saint Aidan’s Presbyterian Women’s Association alongside the president of the group Mrs C Wise.
- Captain D N Coates and Corporal T Kilfoyle presented a cheque for $210, from the soldiers at Kapooka, the proceeds of a recent golf day, to Mr C S Oliver, past president of Wagga Legacy.
- Hundreds of students planning to leave school this year attended the Wagga Rotary Club’s Careers Night at Wagga High School and Technical College.
- Mayor Ald M H Gissing presented the City of Wagga trophy to Corporal Apprentice Arnold who was the graduating RAAF apprentice achieving the highest standards at the RAAF School of Technical Training.
- Sixteen members of the Hare Krishna movement travelled to Wagga and chanted praises to Krishna at the Riverina College of Advanced Education.
- Four council officers have been invited to submit reports on the development of a swimming pool complex on Council land at Bourkelands.
- President, Mr Richard Dobbie said that the Wagga Jaycees chapter is seeking to fill several vacancies in the group.
- Wagga Christian Brothers scored their third straight Hardy Shield victory with a 12-10 win over Wagga High.
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
