6th September 2025
Compiled from the Daily Advertiser by the Wagga Wagga & District Historical Society.
25 Years Ago
- The second Rotary District Peace Communities International Conference held in Wagga this week featured keynote speakers including Lieutenant General Peter Cosgrove, Steve Pratt of CARE Australia and former Wagga policeman, Terry O’Connell who pioneered justice conferencing in Australia. The conference was opened by Member for Riverina, Kay Hull.
- Wagga Civic Theatre renovations are finally complete, 18 months late and almost $2 million overbudget.
- Over the past three years Wagga City Council has provided 50 kilometres of bikeways at a cost of more than $600,000 with Mayor Kevin Wales saying during “Bike Week” this week that this was an ideal time to take advantage of these facilities.
- Police, fire and ambulance units were called to a blaze above the Indian Tavern Tandoori restaurant in Baylis Street.
- The Rotary Club of South Wagga 20th Antique Fair is being held at Kyeamba Smith Hall.
- Members of Wagga’s Salvation Army Advisory Board members, Merrin Button, Glen Pinney, Bob Quarmby, Anthony Paul, Yvonne Braid and Julie Hoy are pictured at a Salvation Army Trivia night which raised $5100 for the Salvation Army.
- Kooringal High School students, Rebecca Dunn and Sarah Jaszczyk have been selected to attend the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra.
- Guest speaker, Bryan Short from Wagga City Council told the annual meeting of the Wagga Ratepayers and Citizens Association that turning its back on urban salinity would cost Wagga $183 million in damaged public and private infrastructure.
- Melbourne based traditional jazz band, Fireworks was one of 54 bands attending the sixth annual Wagga Jazz Festival.
- The Australian Army Band Kapooka is making a welcome return to the Wagga Civic Theatre for their first Music at Midday performance for the year.
- Eddie and May Ludwig are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
- Peter Sumpter was re-elected president at the annual meeting of the Wagga Ratepayers and Citizens Association with Peter Turner and Roy Judd, vice-presidents, Galva Nitschke as secretary and treasurer. Committee members included Helen Frisby, Muriel Henseleit, Eric Blair, Andrew Lang and Joe Solomon.
- Eleven names are to be added to Wagga’s Walk of Honour later this year. They are John Ansell, Henry and Morris Gissing, Don Kendall, Edgar Graham, Rosina Grosse, Leyton Joyes, Colin Knott, Carol Moffit, Margaret and Trixie Read.
50 Years Ago
- The Wagga City Library has been declared the national winner of the 1975 Public Relations Awards conducted by the Library Association of Australia. Librarian Duncan Marshall accepted the award this week at a ceremony conducted in Sydney.
- An aerial photo shows the very considerable development taking place in Ashmont, one of Wagga’s fastest developing areas.
- The Now Ministry a non-denominational organisation based in Wagga is now occupying the Y.M.C.A. Hostel in Morrow Street which is now officially called the Now Ministry Manor.
- 22 people from 11 different countries became Australian Citizens in a naturalisation ceremony one of the largest to be held in Wagga since the 1950’s.
- A total of 49 Riverina College of Advanced Education students graduated at a graduation ceremony held at the Wagga Civic Theatre.
- Five Miss Wagga entrants, Julie Hamilton, Bernadette Carroll, Judy Bourne, Christine Roach and Lyn Belling took part in the third Wagga Trash and Treasure market in the car park of Lamson Paragon.
- Members of the Fourth Wagga Rover Scout Troop, including Gail Emmett and George Benedyka have delivered more than 10,000 Community Directories to households and businesses throughout Wagga.
- The Riverina Rockettes are among the participants in the Wagga Base Hospital Revue produced by Gerald Flynn and held at the John Macarthur Hotel.
- About 60 women from the Wagga district attended a three-day seminar on “The Changing Role of Women” at the Wagga Agricultural College.
- Councillor R Klimpsch was re-elected unopposed, and Councillor G K Dunn was re-elected deputy president at this weeks Kyeamba Shire Council meeting.
- In the six months since the Wagga City Art Gallery has been opened there have been 12 successful exhibitions and plans are now under way for the formation of a Wagga City Art Gallery Society.
- Two Wagga butchers were fined in the Wagga Court of Petty Sessions after pleading guilty to sulphur dioxide and meat content in sausages and crumbed steak.
- Proceeds from the 1975 Miss Wagga Quest slumped from $9086 to $3042.
- Wagga Amateur Basketball Association’s juniors won seven of their eight games played against visiting teams from Devonport, Tasmania at the Kyeamba Smith Hall.
- Recent meetings of the Wagga Heather Club Ladies Auxiliary have been held in the new Flower Room at St. Andrews Church with new members joining recently including Mrs L Drain, Mrs R Condon and Mrs G Seeliger.
- Mackenzies Newsagency in Baylis Street has been bought by Mr Clem Flinn from Canberra.
- J Beck and D Corben won the Wagga City Golf Club associates foursomes championship.
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
