In Wagga’s Past – 25 and 50 Years ago.

4th January 2025

Compiled from the Daily Advertiser by the Wagga Wagga & District Historical Society.

25 Years Ago

• Months of debate over the placement of a Baylis Street bus shelter appears to be over with the city council affirming an earlier decision to move the shelter to stop it blocking views of the cenotaph.

• Wagga’s Catholic bishop, William Brennan, has stepped in to stop the church’s social welfare arm, Centacare, operating a national job placement program in his diocese indicating that “It’s not our job”.

• Local doctor, Robert Fleming will retire this month after 40 years of medical training and practice.

• The new Wagga Medical Centre in Edward Street should be completed this month and will offer specially designed medical suites, a coffee shop and 10 fully serviced two-bedroom apartments which have been leased to the Greater Murray Area Health Service.

• The Mobil Service Centre on the corner of Edward and Baylis Streets, diagonally opposite the 24-hour Mobil service station will close on January 30 after being deemed “not to be performing” by owner Power Petroleum.

• Kangaroos Rugby League club and Wagga Tigers Australian Football club will both begin pre-season training this week.

• Murrumbidgee Turf Club chief executive, Mick Sullivan, has taken up a position with the Sunshine Coast Turf Club at Caloundra after a five-and-a-half-year stint with the MTC.

• Former Oberne Creek resident, Tara Cheney will get back to teaching in Australia after spending two years in Brunei teaching English and acting as a boarder’s supervisor.

• About 160 people partied hard at the Boat Club on New Years Eve and were entertained by the brilliant “About Face” featuring Troy Fisher and Karla Hillam. Breakfast was served for 40 stayers at 6am.

• Wagga’s Lincraft store, opposite Grace Bros in Baylis Street will close at the end of the month, a victim of rationalisation within the parent company.

• Emily Glover won a nine-day cruise in the FM107-2AAA promotion.

• The president of the Wagga Show Society, Bruce Hamilton, in a letter to Mayor Kevin Wales and General Manager, Brian Andrews said that establishing a convention centre at the Equex site would endanger the viability of the Show Society.

• Wesley Uniting Employment will establish a Wagga office and employ at least 12 people to find work for the jobless after winning a three-year contract with the Federal Government.

• A legal battle is looming for Wagga City Council with the company whose sex shop application for 94 Fitzmaurice Street was rejected vowing to fight the decision in court.

50 Years Ago

• A 22-year-old Wagga apprentice, Ian Johnson, who is employed by R A Johnson Pty Ltd was chosen as the best building apprentice in NSW by the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Building.

• Lake Albert fast bowler Geoff Lawson is pictured letting go one of his faster deliveries during the match against RSL at Robertson Oval.

• Wagga’s Parks and Gardens Supervisor, Tom Wood said there was no doubt that new underground watering systems installed under eight of the cities ovals at a cost of $70,000 was money well spent with lower water consumption and labour savings.

• Ian Bell, general manager of Bell’s Soft Drinks in Wagga has been appointed as Australian Franchise Manager for Cottee’s General Foods.

• John Mercer, an employee of Bell’s for 15 years has been promoted to general manager of the Wagga plant and franchise manager for Wagga and Canberra.

• Sporting personalities associated with the big Wagga Whirlwind Free-For-All trotting race were tendered a Mayoral welcome. Pictured with Wagga’s Mayor, Dick Gorman, were part-owner, trainer and driver of double Inter-Dominion winner, Hondo Gratten, Tony Turnball and his daughter Cindy, the driver of Paleface Adios, Keith Pike and his wife and 2KY trotting caller Ray Conroy.

• Union maintenance bans at four big power stations have led to power restrictions in Wagga with systematic cuts being enforced throughout the city at hourly intervals.

• President of Wagga Jaycees, Norm Byng, is pictured at the launch of “Miss Jaycees” which will be the club’s entry for the two-day Bathtub Derby Carnival to be held at Lake Albert later this month.

• Miss Maryanne Brown is pictured with her parents Mr and Mrs G H Brown at a dinner party to celebrate her 19th birthday at Noah’s Town House.

• Castles Hardware are advertising Fowlers Vacola Home Bottling Kits and accessories.

• Mr R J Harris, Riverina Tourist secretary and tourist officer said that the Authorities Visitors and Information Centre in the 2WG building at 16 Fitzmaurice Street was functioning strongly with more than 100,000 visitors receiving attention since it opened there six years ago.

• In the second robbery of its kind within a fortnight a thief walked to the rear of Wagga’s E C Hattam’s department store and snatched a bag containing $558 in cash.

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