The first Wagga Wagga City Council information booklets the Wagga Wagga City Library local studies collection holds are from 1938 onwards. This may not be the earliest year they were produced , but they are the first I have located in the collection.
These charming and elegant little booklets hold a wealth of historical facts and other information about the town.
In 1938, there were 1070 telephones connected ; statistics on the amount of butter produced in previous years - in 1937 , show that 1,904,507 lbs were churned out. In 1937, Wagga's population was 12,530. 29,309,800 cubic feet of gas was sold; and in 1937, there were two cases of typhoid , 35 cases of diptheria, and 11 cases of scarlet fever.
Council employed four people at the sewerage works, 8 at the gasworks, and 6 people at the cattle saleyards.
And as early as 1938 Wagga Wagga had "daily air service links with the capital cities", the journey taking one hour and forty five minutes.
An oddity mentioned in the general description of Wagga's parks and gardens is that Collin's Park had a "Zoological section". There were also black and white photographs of places of interest for a gentler era - including the business districts of Fitzmaurice and Gurwood Streets, the bathing beach, and the various parks and gardens .
Part of the charm of the booklets is that they are written in the language of the time, and with the statistics given, give a detailed picture of Wagga as it was in the 1930s, and with a little imagination it is possible to see yourself in Wagga circa late 1930s.
if you have any booklets or other information you would like to share with us - such as the creatures housed in the Collins park zoo, email me wagga.local.studies@gmail.com or ring 69269757 and leave your number and I will get back to you.
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