2nd March 2024
Compiled from the Daily Advertiser by the Wagga Wagga & District Historical Society.
25 Years Ago
- Opposition spokeswoman for Health, Jillian Skinner visited Wagga and promised an upgrade to Wagga Base Hospital costing more than $10 million if the Coalition wins the State election this month.
- Les Smith who began his photographic career at the Daily Advertiser in 1978 has returned to Wagga and the Daily Advertiser as senior photographer after spending some time working on the Illawarra Mercury in Wollongong.
- High profile Wagga City Councillor, Jim Eldridge died at Wagga Base Hospital at the age of 83 years.
- Wagga cyclist, 15-year-old, Nathan Kelly is pictured in the Daily Advertiser displaying the gold and silver medals he won at the Australian track championships last week.
- Wagga’s political hopefuls including Jim Booth, Daryl Maguire, and Col McPherson along with Member for Riverina, Kay Hull threw their weight, behind a petition which aims to secure State Government support for the establishment of an indoor aquatic centre in the city.
- So far $2000 has been pledged for 2AAA FM breakfast announcer, Peter Alibon, who agreed to cut his long hair next week on the proviso that the community raised $1,000 for Kurrajong Waratah Early Intervention service.
- Wagga Art Society representative Margaret Smedley and Daphne Spence from the Wagga Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild presented a natural dyed hand spun wool tapestry featuring Wagga’s sandstone memorial arch to Wagga Mayor, John Harding.
- Noel and Beverley Hull celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with family and friends at the Golden Seasons restaurant.
- Members of the NSW Fire Brigades stationed at Turvey Park and Wagga stations were honoured for their service to the community last week.
- Father Sean Conroy, assistant priest at the South Wagga Catholic parish turns 80 this week and the parish will celebrate with a birthday party in the Marian Hall.
- Controversial One Nation politician, Pauline Hanson is in Wagga to launch the campaign of One Nation candidate, Greg Jerrick.
- Two eleven-year-old children who bashed a cat and ransacked a Turvey Park home with a group of other youngsters last week are to be forced to confront the victims of their crime.
- One Nation’s Greg Jerrick is the only candidate standing for the seat of Wagga who failed to complete a questionnaire prepared by the Wagga Women’s Electoral Lobby.
- A Wagga woman allegedly embezzled more than half a million dollars from her employer to feed her addiction to poker machines.
50 Years Ago
- Wagga architect, Peter O’Halloran was elected to fill the vacant Wagga City Council seat.
- A meeting of representatives from many Wagga organisations concerned with child welfare service organisations was held at the CWA rooms to consider a proposal to form a branch of the NSW Childcare Association in Wagga.
- All available subscription tickets have been sold for the 1974 ABC Concert Season in Wagga.
- 30,000 feet of pipe is being laid at Gissing Oval to supply a complete watering system for the ground.
- A Mayoral reception was given to the State president of the Women’s Bowling Association, Mrs E Knox who was in Wagga to officially open the Commercial Women’s Bowling Club.
- A tender of almost one quarter of a million dollars has been accepted for construction of the first of a series of lecture units on the north campus of the Riverina College of Advanced Education.
- Prime blocks with views of the Lake sold for up to $12,000 when more than a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of land was sold by G J Fitzpatrick and Co in stages six and seven of the Lakeside Estate on the western side of Lake Albert.
- Professor John Beveridge from the Prince Henry and Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney was guest speaker at the Wagga Base Hospital Graduate Nurses Association Annual Seminar attended by 140 nurses at the Wagga Leagues Club.
- Seven individual records and one relay record were broken at the sixth annual Murrumbidgee Amateur Swimming Association inter-club carnival at the Wagga City Baths.
- A Wagga butcher was convicted and fined $15 plus $19 costs on a charge of selling adulterated meat after an inspection found sausages containing 30 % of fat when the legal maximum was 27%.
- A former Wagga store manager was jailed for five years for embezzling more than $21,000 from his company which he gambled on various horse and dog race meetings.
- The Wagga Show Society incurred a loss of $7633 with retiring president Mr A K Brunskill indicating that there had been a sharp uptrend in costs and wages.
- The Wagga branch of the Young Liberals has called on the Member for Farrer, David Fairbairn to demand in Parliament that God Save the Queen be given a “fair go” in Australia’s search for a national anthem.
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
