19th September 2026

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

25 Years Ago

• Wagga Catholic Diocese director of schools Steve Marchant displayed plans for two new Catholic schools in Wagga: one at Lake Haven and another from a merger of Trinity Senior High School and Mount Erin High School.

• Wagga High School student Liesl Rethus was awarded the Minister’s Award for Excellence in Student Achievement at a special State reception in Sydney.

• Sacred Heart Parish Priest, Father Wilfred Plunkett, has endorsed a petition currently circulating that objects to the establishment of the city’s second sex shop planned for Baylis Street.

• Steve Bradshaw, Grahame Winson, Tom Murphy and Tom Burke were among Wagga police officers at the Emergency Services Ball held at the Kyeamba Smith Hall.

• The Klimpsch family held a family reunion at the Borambola Sport and Recreation Centre.

• Mount Austin High School students, Emily Nolan and Kellie Lloyd, are pictured with medals they won at the New South Wales Combined High Schools athletics carnival last week.

• School principal Dr Ian Grant said that work on a $400,000 expansion of the Riverina Anglican College would begin within two weeks.

• Minister for Youth, Carmel Tebbutt, officially opened the Museum of the Riverina at Willans Hill following refurbishments undertaken over the past two years.

• Wagga Tigers will have three sets of brothers, Andrew and Steve Priest, Chris and Robbie Jackson and Brent and Justin Rynehart playing in the grand final against East Wagga-Kooringal this weekend.

• Two people have been charged after the Thorne Street store was the scene of a brazen armed hold-up in broad daylight.

• Tim Stait has established a talent agency to showcase the immense talent Wagga and the surrounding district has to offer by way of stage, television and radio.

• Wagga Cycle Club members, Netasha Pearse, Ellen Marks and Tom Palmer are pictured at the Wagga Cricket Ground with medals they won at the New South Wales Cycle championships.

• Wagga Golf Club is celebrating its 20^th anniversary at its current location at Pomingalarna.

• Country Energy regional general manager, Wayne Lynch, presented $46,200 to Carlie Fanning for The Murrumbidgee Life Education Van, with Healthy Harold looking on.

• South Wagga Butchery have won the NSW Regional Category for Australian Tasty Sausages and Gourmet Sausages.

• A consortium of Wagga businesspeople supported by Member for Riverina, Kay Hull, is pushing ahead with plans to buy Kendell Airlines despite a major change in the change in the administration at Ansett Australia.

• Christian Brothers classmates from 1943 to 1952 are attending a reunion at the Wagga RSL Club.

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50 Years Ago

• Wagga is without a mayor until at least next week after three Aldermen, Ald Charles Houen, Ald Brian Allen and current mayor, Ald Dick Gorman, all declined nominations for the position this week.

• More than 12,000 people, which is 25% more than last year, braved the wet, muddy conditions to visit the second day of the annual Henty Machinery Field Days.

• Christian Brothers Old Boys Smoko in St Joseph’s Hall this week will feature special guest Tom Raudonikis, Australian Rugby League Captain.

• Members of the committee of the Ashmont Pre-School Long Day Child Care Centre are pictured with Deputy Mayor, Brian Allen and Town Clerk, Bill Ellis, as formalities are completed for the opening of the new Centre this Saturday.

• Six district Bowling Club Presidents, Alec Dunn, Reg Bowden, Norm Taylor, Tony Sloane, Ron Farrell and Bill Payne, are pictured at the RSL Club Presidents Day last Sunday.

• Flight Sergeant Apprentice Geoffrey Craig has been named leading RAAF Engineering Apprentice for 1976 and is pictured with Group Captain W H Smith, Commanding Officer, RAAF School of Technical Training and Group Captain C G Thomas, Officer Commanding, RAAF Wagga, after being presented with the award in Sydney.

• The Barbeque Butchery team consisting of Dennis Blackett, Noel Morrow, Mick Daniher and Greg Strong are pictured training for this year’s Daily Advertiser- 2WG City to Lake “Run for your Life.”

• Rev James Goudie has come out of retirement to take over the running of St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church until the appointment of a successor to Rev Mackenzie Baird, who retired in July after almost 30 years at the church.

• Wagga Leagues Club is presenting the Jimmy Little Show soon with a delicious smorgasbord lunch and special afternoon entertainment for the Ladies.

• Miss Wagga, Judy Bourne, spoke in detail on her recent trip to the United States and her stay in Wagga’s sister city, Leavenworth, at this week’s birthday meeting of the Wagga CWA.

• Local businessman Tom Hillis suggested that Wagga could utilise a side street off Wagga’s main streets to conduct a regular weekly evening sidewalk flea market.

• Twenty-one cubs of the First The Rock Cub Pack raised $109 during the recent Scout Job Week, which will go towards repairs to the Scout Hall at The Rock.

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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