Above : the front page of the Daily Advertiser, February 13, 1954
Queen Elizabeth the Second's visit to Wagga Wagga in 1954 was a cause of great excitement, with the whole region drawn into preparations and royal fervour. Months of planning went into the visit , from the route the royal progression would take, to corralling masses of school children to greet the Queen and Prince Phillip, to providing catering on a massive scale, for the regal visitors and the thousands of country folk from around the region and Wagga itself.
The Daily Advertiser reported on every little thing royal, from concerns the tour would prove too "tiring" for Queen Elizabeth (insert eye roll here as the young Queen was considerably more robust than the vast majority of her elderly hosts in Australia) , to her clothes, behaviour, and speeches.
The local businesses also took advantage of the situation by assembling patriotic displays in their windows: some were very elaborate diorama type arrangements, some just portraits of the Queen , or the shop would loop bunting in royal colors along the verandahs and windows.
Above : from Official Record: the Royal Visit to New South Wales 1954
Although the Queen left Wagga Wagga near to 3 pm, the celebrations continued into the night, with racing and other events at the showgrounds during the afternoon, finishing late with fireworks. In town, the spectacular light display, hawkers selling souvenirs of the royal visit , and all the shop front displays kept townspeople around, reluctant to end the magic of the day.
Above : from the Wagga Wagga City Library local studies collection : a souvenir birthday card from 1954 featuring Queen Elizabeth - the manufacturer has added silver glitter to the bracelet, crown and necklace
Above : from the Wagga Wagga City Library's local studies collection , a souvenir program from 1954 for the Queen's visit to Wagga Wagga
Above : advertising from the Daily Advertiser, Saturday , February 1954
Hardy's: business advertisement from Saturday 13 February 1954, featuring an informal portrait of Queen Elizabeth
If you'd like to see some photographs taken on the day of Queen Elizabeth's visit, take a look at Wagga Library's Flickr account - these tiny black and white photos , taken by an unknown photographer, really give a sense of the occasion.
One of the photographs features schoolgirls marching down Baylis Street (and keep in mind it was during one of the hottest months of the year, and these girls are marching in what appear to be woollen uniforms):
If you know who took the photographs, or recognise yourself or a friend, let us know!
While there, have a look at all the other fascinating photographs and documents- there are a lot of gems in our collection that we can share with the Wagga community through Flickr.
Click on the link below to go to the Wagga Library Flickr account:
If you would like to peruse the papers of the special day, go to Trove and start searching here:
Happy searching!
Above: Paull's the Draper: advertisement, the Daily Advertiser, February 1954
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