7th February 2026
Compiled from the Daily Advertiser by the Wagga Wagga & District Historical Society.
25 Years Ago
- Former deputy chairman of the Wagga Economic Development Board, Tom Watson, quit the organisation in frustration at what he sees as the board’s and the city council’s lack of meaningful action on economic development.
- A fiery public meeting about a proposed drug rehabilitation house in Lake Albert Road confirmed that most believe the unit is needed but not wanted near their houses, schools or the Kooringal Hotel.
- However, Father Wilfred Plunkett from nearby Sacred Heart Primary School has voiced his support for the centre to be established nearby.
- Peter Mahoney has been promoted at The Daily Advertiser to the position of deputy editor, and Alison Neville has taken on the role of chief sub-editor.
- Lisa Miller-Bradley has been appointed as the new executive officer for Riverina Regional Tourism.
- Sandy Hollway, former chief executive of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and chairman of the advisory committee for the International Year of Volunteers, will be the guest speaker at a function to be held in Wagga this month as part of the International Year of Volunteers.
- “Thanks a thousand awards” have been sponsored by the Daily Advertiser and the Wagga Marketplace to recognise silent achievers from the community and to gain some recognition for their voluntary efforts.
- Great Southern Energy retail general manager, Max Smith, has warned customers to be aware of deregulation facts before signing up to a new electricity contract.
- Roger Willis has sold his business, Roger’s Ice Supplies, which he started 17 years ago at the back of a service Station Gumly at Gumly, to Ross Seymour.
- In his 20th year serving in the Royal Australian Air Force, Wing Commander Ron Hodges has returned to Wagga as the new Forest Hill RAAF base commander.
- Gumly Post Office Store owner, June Scammell, is frequently asked for directions by irate travellers and is calling for improvements to road signs in the area.
- Paula Mitchell from Mount Austin High School has been selected for the NSW under-19 softball team.
- Second-hand and antique dealer John Buik is retiring and auctioning his collection this week.
- Charles Sturt University head of the School of Wine and Food Sciences, Professor Geoff Scollary, announced that the University will spend $4 million to establish a new $2.5 million commercial winery, a $1 million experimental winery and a $500,000 first stage expansion of its cheese factory.
- A three-year-old child playing with a gas lighter started a house fire, which caused damage to a Wagga home estimated at $30,000.
50 Years Ago
- A surprise attack on the annual starling invasion of Wagga resulted in between six and ten thousand starlings being shot.
- RVN Channel 2 has installed a new computer costing more than $100,000, which is only the third to be installed in Australia.
- One of Wagga’s best-known hotels, Carmody’s Royal Hotel, has been sold for an estimated $225,000 to the McCoullough family.
- Wagga’s Youth worker, Richard Riley, is working with local youth to clean up the new Youth Centre in Fitzmaurice Street.
- Fifteen-year-old Wagga swimmer, Anne Tunley, set three records at the Murrumbidgee Swimming Association annual carnival.
- The multi-million dollar bridge crossing the Murrumbidgee River near Gundagai is nearing completion.
- Inspector M J Frendin has started duties at Wagga Police Station following the recent retirement of Inspector Dick McMahon.
- Peter Hains is pictured signing a contract to purchase land at the Council’s industrial estate, which will become the site of a major distribution centre for the plumbing trade.
- The ANZ Bank in Wagga is celebrating 100 years of local community service.
- More than 50 high school girls from Wagga, Tumut and The Rock took part in Riverina selection trials for a softball team to play at the State High School Softball Championships in Deniliquin in March.
- Huthwaites are selling fruit juice cordial, 2 litres, for 69 cents, Miracle table margarine, 500g, for 69 cents, and Colgate toothpaste, 110g, for 39 cents.
- Wagga homeowners can expect to pay an average of 25 to 30 per cent more in City Council land rates this year, which will mean that Wagga’s land rates will have risen 85 to 90 per cent in the last three years.
- Students returning to the Riverina College of Advanced Education later this month will be facing one of the most severe accommodation shortages ever experienced in Wagga.
- Three new members were welcomed to the first meeting of 1976 of the Association of Civilian Widows.
- A total of 98 members attended the first meeting for 1976 of the Wagga Senior Citizens Association. Special guests at the meeting were Aldermen P Clark and N McLennan and social worker Jeff Marjoram.
- Tolland Soccer Club is beginning activities for seniors and juniors next week.
- Only three clubs in Group 9, Young, Cootamundra and Harden-Murrumburrah want to play a pre-season competition this year.
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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