Council News Issue #551 – 21 June 2025

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Wagga Wagga City Council weekly newsletter

After a six-year hiatus, the City of Good Sports is looking for the next inductees into the Sporting Hall of Fame, with nominations for the prestigious honour and the Local Legend category opening on Tuesday 1 July 2025.

Council’s Sporting Hall of Fame was established in 1993 and is located at the Museum of the Riverina - Botanic Gardens site.

It recognises more than a hundred sportspeople, including our first Olympic gold medallist Alicia Quirk (Women’s Rugby Sevens), former Matildas team member Sally Shipard (soccer), Brownlow Medallist Paul Kelly (AFL), Geoff Lawson (cricket) and Steve and Chris Mortimer (rugby league).

Nominations for the Sporting Hall of Fame were last called in 2019, but the induction ceremony did not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While nominations are not open yet, Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga Councillor Dallas Tout is encouraging sporting groups to start thinking now about someone they would like to nominate, who meets the criteria for the Sporting Hall of Fame, and Local Legend category.

“The Sporting Hall of Fame recognises the exceptional achievements of local elite sportspeople who have reached the

pinnacles of their careers and reflects the valuable contribution they have made to their sport and to our community,” Cr

Tout said.

“The Local Legends category recognises our local sporting administrators, coaches, volunteers, or coordinators, as an integral part of the development of the sport within our city.”

“It has been six years since Council last called for nominations so there must be more than a few worthy nominees out there in our community.”

In 2019, Council revised selection criteria for the city’s Sporting Hall of Fame to make it clearer for future panellists and nominators.

Council’s Recreation Coordinator Joshua Walsh advises those thinking of making a nomination for 2025 to look carefully at the selection criteria before making a submission.

“Athletes will be eligible once they retire from either international competition, or the highest level of competition in their chosen sport where international representation is not available,” Mr Walsh said.

“In addition, an athlete must be nominated by their respective sporting club or association for both the Sporting Hall of Fame and Local Legend category.”

The nominations are overseen by a Councillor, along with Council’s Strategic

Recreation team and a nominated community representative.

The inductee ceremony will be held at the Museum of the Riverina in November 2025, where the successful 2019 nominees will also be inducted: Kate Blackwell and Alex Blackwell (cricket) – Sporting Hall of Fame; and Brian Lawrence (cricket) – Local Legend category.

Nominations open on Tuesday 1 July and close at 5pm on Thursday 31 July 2025

Once they are open, you will be able to download a nomination form by visiting museumriverina.com.au/shof or contacting Council’s Strategic Recreation team on 1300 292 442.

First Nations community members and allies are encouraged to register to march together at the annual Wagga Wagga NAIDOC Week March and Flag Raising event on Monday 7 July 2025.

NAIDOC Week is held annually during July to recognise and celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

2025 NAIDOC Week is Sunday 6 July – Sunday 13 July with a huge program of events to occur across the community ranging from family fun days to 3x3 basketball competitions.

This year celebrates a powerful milestone for NAIDOC: 50 years of honoring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience.

The 2025 theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy, celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of young leaders, the vision of communities, and the legacy of ancestors.

Council’s Community Development Coordinator Alex Osgood said Wagga Wagga should be proud of the diverse range of NAIDOC Week celebrations happening in our community.

“It’s great to see community groups and organisations planning meaningful NAIDOC activities to learn, share and celebrate,” Alex Osgood said.

“Several events will be held in Wagga Wagga, with Council hosting a march down Baylis street and flag raising event on Monday 7 July.

“The march will start on Morgan Street (near Baretta Lane) at 10am, then head down Baylis Street to the Wagga Wagga Civic Centre where the flag-raising ceremony, Welcome to Country, and smoking ceremony will take place.”

A free bus will be provided for Elders and community members who need assistance.

Registrations are recommended for the march to ensure the community is kept up-to-date with any safety information or changes to the event.

Groups and individuals can register by contacting Council’s Community Development Team via 1300 292 442 or first.nations@wagga.nsw.gov.au.

For more information visit: wagga.nsw. gov.au/naidoc-week

Sporting Hall of Fame display at the Museum of the Riverina.
MAKING A COMEBACK: Council’s Recreation Coordinator Joshua Walsh and Wagga Wagga Mayor Cr Dallas Tout at the Sporting Hall of Fame display at the Museum of the Riverina. Nominations for 2025 inductees open on 1 July.

RECOGNITION: The Museum of the Riverina’s Resettlement: Wiradyuri Gawaymbanha-gu Mamalanha podcast, launched in February, has received a 2025 NSW Local Government Professionals Excellence Awards.

Narrated by Luke Wighton, a proud Wiradyuri man, the podcast tells the powerful stories of Aboriginal families who moved to Wagga Wagga under the Aboriginal Family Resettlement Scheme in the 1970s and 1980s, which urged Aboriginal families to move to larger rural centres like Wagga Wagga to be closer to essential health and education services.

Across seven episodes, nine Aboriginal community members share how the scheme impacted their lives and reshaped Wagga Wagga.

The podcast was developed as part of Wagga Wagga City Council’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan and was funded by a NSW Government Community Heritage Grant.

“We’re really thrilled, we’re very proud of this, we are all winners on the Resettlement podcast project and are honoured to have received the award for Community Development on 6 June, at the NSW Local Government Professionals Awards,” said the project’s cultural advisor Aunty Dot Whyman.

recognise outstanding achievements across councils in areas like community engagement, sustainability, and innovation.

The Community Development category specifically recognises leadership in community services.

Council’s Museum Manager Tim Kurylowicz said the state-wide award was a tribute to the Wiradyuri leaders and families whose stories are so compelling.

“Thank you for contributing to a greater understanding of Wagga Wagga's contemporary history,” Mr Kurylowicz said.

“This award is also a recognition of the diligence and care of the Museum team and our volunteers who put in the hours to capture these important stories.”

The Resettlement podcast fulfils a commitment in Council's Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan to capture oral histories of Aboriginal people.

Resettlement: Wiradyuri Gawaymbanha-gu Mamalanha, a podcast produced by the Museum of the Riverina, has won the 2025 NSW Local Government Professionals Excellence Award for Community Development.

Events & Tourism

STEP UP: Join professional dancer and dance instructor Hayley Allen-Freeman from Luxe Dance Studio for free ‘wuthering’ classes in the lead-up to the Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever 2025.

Get ready to ‘Wuther’ in Wagga Wagga this winter!

Wagga Wagga will be staging its second Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever in July as part of Council’s FRESH 2025 intergenerational program.

Community members of all-ages are invited to join in this fun event, which will be held on the lawn near the Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre on the afternoon of Sunday 20 July.

The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is an event held at locations around the world. It was inspired by a ‘happening’ at the 2013 Brighton Fringe, when performance collective Shambush attempted an unofficial world record

“Congratulations to all that participated with this project and special thanks to Luke Grealy as it was part of his dream to have this developed and we all made this dream become a reality, and we are very honoured for the Wagga Wagga community.”

The award was presented as part of the 2025 NSW Local Government Professionals Excellence Awards, which

by assembling hundreds of Kate Bush lookalikes.

Council’s Community Development Officer Victoria Lowe says whether you’re a Kate Bush fan or just love to dance, it’s a great chance to come together as a community to re-enact version two of the official music video for Kate Bush’s 1978 masterpiece, Wuthering Heights

“At our inaugural Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever event last year, 42 Cathys and Heathcliffs, aged between five and 89, braved the inclement weather conditions and celebrated Kate Bush’s iconic debut single.” Ms Lowe said.

“We’re hoping to see that number increase this year, and to help people get in the rhythm for the event, professional dance instructor, Hayley Allen-Freeman will be running four free ‘drop-in’ style ‘wuthering’ dance classes.

“If you can’t get to these sessions, don’t worry; just turn up on the day, where we’ll have a rehearsal ahead of the big performance itself.

“If you can, wear a Kate Bush-style gown, but as long as its red, anything goes!”

All ages, abilities and genders are welcome. Young people under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult.

The ‘wuthering’ classes with Hayley Allen-Freeman will be held at the Seniors Community Centre, located at 204 Tarcutta Street, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm each Thursday from 19 June to 10 July. A rehearsal will be held on the day of the event at 1.30pm, ahead of the main event at 2pm on Sunday 20 July.

For more information and to register to take part in the event, visit wagga.nsw. gov.au/fresh

Resettlement: Wiradyuri Gawaymbanha-gu Mamalanha is available on the Museum of the Riverina’s website or wherever you get your podcasts: museumriverina.com.au

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