24th January 2026
Compiled from the Daily Advertiser by the Wagga Wagga & District Historical Society.
25 Years Ago
- A free community breakfast provided a tasty start to Wagga’s Australia Day celebrations which also marked the centenary of Federation.
- Rick Priest was named as Wagga’s Citizen of the Year and Aimee Kent as Young Citizen of the Year.
- Paul Pitstock, Sally Gissing, Phyllis de Jersey and George Brown were recognised with Australia Day Achievement awards during the ceremony.
- Former Wagga orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Peter Dewey who moved into semi-retirement in Bowral 18 months ago has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the general division for service to the community of Wagga as an orthopaedic surgeon.
- Acting chairman of the Wagga Base Hospital’s medical staff council, anaesthetist, Steven Woods and secretary, general practitioner, Peter Keith chaired a meeting of local specialists and general practitioners to discuss several issues with New South Wales Health.
- Wagga police have positioned a mobile police station at Lake Albert following a spate of recent fires in the suburb.
- Ian Inglis, Trevor Leahy, Paul McGowan, Wayne Inglis and Tony Stewart are pictured at a reunion of the South Wagga 1990-91 premiership team in the Wagga and District Cricket Association.
- Wagga City Council’s director of engineering services, Gary Wells, suspects that $15,000 worth of Wagga Street signs stolen over the last three weeks are being sold for scrap.
- Wagga City Council is considering actions against trailer advertising signs parked around the city.
- Residents Eileen Parker, Lorraine Nisbet and Margaret Heirons are pictured with care manager Marjory Hale celebrating after Wagga’s Remembrance Village received its three-year certificate of accreditation.
- New cigarette butt receptacles installed six months ago by Wagga City Council at a cost of $1,000 in Baylis Street have been mostly ignored by smokers.
- Wagga City Council has begun construction of the Federation amphitheatre on the banks of the Wollundry Lagoon.
- Work has also begun on the site of Wagga’s Bolton Park skate park.
- Legendary Wagga racehorse trainer, George Day, has died at the age of 93.
- Some of the highest ranked climbers in Australia are attending the NSW Country Climbing Championships to be held at Wagga’s Vertical Reality centre.
- New general manager, Graeme Faulkner, has suggested changes to Wagga City Council’s decades-old meeting system introducing fortnightly rather than monthly council meetings.
- Wagga’s Darren Coggan will join another four famous country music names when he is immortalised in the Hands of Fame Cornerstone during this years Tamworth Country Music Festival.
- Riverina Wool Combing is close to reopening a section of its scouring factory which will provide another 20 jobs for Wagga.
50 Years Ago
• The Wagga Save the Lake Committee convenor; Brian Cook said some Council figures showed that the diversion of Stringy Bark Creek as planned by Wagga City Council could lower the water level of Lake Albert by 30 per cent. The committee has presented Council with a petition opposing the diversion signed by 1612 people.
• Last year’s bath-tub champion, Greg Moore is pictured rounding a buoy in his high powered outboard while competing in the 1976 event at Lake Albert.
• Ald Collins of the Wagga Australia Day Committee presented prize money to Jenny Hare and Graham Madsen winners of an essay competition conducted to promote the cities Australia Day celebrations.
• Veteran Wagga rifleman, Jack Fahey won the gold medal in B Grade and five other trophies at the Anzac Rifle Range in Sydney over the Australia Day long weekend.
• Nadine Carlin, dressed as a pioneer, is pictured serving tea and damper to Phyllis Halbisch and Doreen Browne, visitors at the Wagga Historical Museum.
• Mr C J Gray has been appointed regional manager, Country South, N.S.W. Division of the Bank of New South Wales, succeeding Mr R J Milne who has been transferred to Newcastle West.
• Mr Murray Forkgen is the new manager of Meagher’s Wagga store.
• Beverly Fraser is pictured with her children while volunteering at the Community Action Centre in the Esplanade.
• The Wagga RSL Club is presenting the John Williamson Show for members entertainment.
• The Astor Motel opened its own bottle shop, the only drive-in bottle shop in Wagga’s main street.
• 24 men’s teams and 39 women’s teams will participate in the Wagga Amateur Basketball Associations competitions beginning on 1st February.
• The twilight soccer competition is restarting on Thursdays at De Jong Oval on Gregadoo Road.
• Backyard fruit growers in Wagga are compounding fruit fly problems in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area according to Department of Agriculture Authorities.
• A record number of enrolments is expected by the Riverina College of Advanced Education this year with Principal, Dr C D Blake indicating that more than 6000 enquiries had been received over the past eight months.
• Max Belling Real Estate is advertising a shop and taxi service at Forest Hill for $26,000 plus stock.
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
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