This plaque commemorates the official opening of the liveweight selling facilities at the Wodonga Municipal Saleyards, named the W. G. Page Saleyards, in 1980. Liveweight selling usually involves a curfew where cattle have to be at the saleyard by a specific time before the sale in order for them to be weighed prior to auction. Cattle that do not make the curfew time are sold on a $/head basis. The last sales at this facility took place in February 2015 before being replaced by the privately-run Barnawartha North's Northern Victoria Livestock Exchange. William George Page was Shire and City Engineer in Wodonga from 1965 until 1989. When he arrived the Shire of Wodonga had a population of 17,000 people. In 1966 Wodonga was selected as a city for special growth assistance. In 1972 Bill Page presented a new Town Plan to the Wodonga Council. Over the ensuing years he dedicated himself to bring this plan to fruition. He often had to argue and campaign with the Albury-Wodonga Corporation to push for the interests of development in Wodonga. This included winning a planning appeal to allow the saleyards to be relocated to Bandiana on the outskirts of Wodonga. Bill Page retired on health grounds in July 1989. The Council honoured him with a farewell dinner and renamed the saleyards at Bandiana the W.G. Page Saleyards in his honour.The Mayor , Cr Valentina Gillard, said "Every development in Wodonga in the past 24 years has a bit of Bill Page in it". William Page died 3 months later at 58 years old.A bronze forged metal plaque with detailed inscription. Bolts to fix plaque to the wall are still attached.RURAL CITY OF WODONGA / THIS PLAQUE/ COMMEMORATES THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE/ LIVEWEIGHT SELLING FACILITIES AT / THE WODONGA MUNICIPAL SALEYARDS /BY/THE HON. DIGBY CROZIER, M.L.C., / MINISTER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT/ ON WEDNESDAY, 4TH MARCH, 1981 CR. H. W, DRAPER, J.P. MAYOR R. I. O'TOOLE TOWN CLERK , CR. I. J. MACAULAY MARKETS CHAIRMAN W. G. PAGE CITY ENGINEERlivestock sales wodonga, liveweight cattle sales, municipal saleyards wondonga

This plaque commemorates the opening of the Wodonga Municipal Saleyards, named the W. G. Page Saleyards, in 1980. The last sales at this facility took place in February 2015 before being replaced by the privately-run Barnawartha North's Northern Victoria Livestock Exchange. William George Page was Shire and City Engineer in Wodonga from 1965 until 1989. When he arrived the Shire of Wodonga had a population of 17,000 people. In 1966 Wodonga was selected as a city for special growth assistance. In 1972 Bill Page presented a new Town Plan to the Wodonga Council. Over the ensuing years he dedicated himself to bring this plan to fruition. He often had to argue and campaign with the Albury-Wodonga Corporation to push for the interests of development in Wodonga. This included winning a planning appeal to allow the saleyards to be relocated to Bandiana on the outskirts of Wodonga. Bill Page retired on health grounds in July 1989. The Council honoured him with a farewell dinner and renamed the saleyards at Bandiana the W.G. Page Saleyards in his honour.The Mayor , Cr Valentina Gillard, said "Every development in Wodonga in the past 24 years has a bit of Bill Page in it". William Page died 3 months later at 58 years old.This plaque commemorates an important centre in the development and support of the livestock industry around Wodonga.A bronze plaque bearing the symbol of the Rural City of Wodonga in the upper left corner and an inscription to commemorate the opening of the Wodonga Municipal Saleyards. It includes a detailed inscription.RURAL CITY OF WODONGA / THIS PLAQUE WAS UNVEILED / ON 29TH JULY 1980 / BY /THE HON. J. C. BALFOUR M.P. / ACTING MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE /TO COMMEMORATE THE OPENING OF THE / WODONGA MUNICIPAL SALEYARDS CR. G. R. CHAMBERLAIN, J.P. MAYOR CR. I . J. MACAULAY CR. M. J. McEACHERN CR. D. I. SCHUBERT, B'E'N', J.P CR. H. W. DRAPER, J.P. CR. D.J .IVERSON CR. E. E. CHESTER CR I. D. WATSON CR. L. C. BOYES CR. B. F. ROGERS CR. P. M. STONE. J.P CR. B. McLEAN TOWN CLERK R. I. O"TOOLE A.I.M.A., A.R.M.I.T, M.A.I.H.S CITY ENGINEER W. G. PAGE, B.E, M.I.E (AUST) B.S .E.W.S L. G. E. A saleyards wodonga, w. g. page saleyards, livestock sales wodonga

non-fictionBuilt in 1935, the saleyards in Wodonga catered for cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs and were the site of the second largest one-day sale of cattle in Australia. Prior to the establishment of the municipal saleyards there were 4 privately owned sets of saleyards in Wodonga. In 1925 Mr. Robert Richardson was elected to the Wodonga Shire Council and immediately proposed that the Council should establish new saleyards to replace existing, outdated facilities. Initially there was a lack of support and strong opposition from the private owners. It was not until Mr. Richardson was elected President of the Shire in 1933 that progress was made. They were eventually opened in October 1935 and played a pivotal role in primary industry in the area. This book tells their story.saleyards wodonga, livestock sales, primary industry victoria

The sale of stock in Wodonga goes back to its earliest history with yards being operated on the site now occupied by Elgin's Hotel and the Centro Shopping Centre, located close to the railways. Horse sales were an important part of the history of the Wodonga Saleyards. Horses were bred in north-east Victoria for the Indian Market, and records show that a truck load of horses left Wodonga Station in 1875. Campbell & Sons commenced selling horses at the Elgin Street site in 1895 and they conducted regular sales in association with Younghusband Ltd. Campbell & Sons was a Melbourne-based company, which eventually merged with Wright Stephenson & Co. Wodonga and Towong Sentinel of Friday 3rd March 1899 reported “Buyers attended from Bendigo, Ballarat, Calcutta, Madras, Singapore, The Islands, Gippsland, Dandenong, and Melbourne. Indian remounts brought up to £32 10s, draughts to £25, medium draughts to £18, town hacks and harness horses to £32, buggy pairs to £65, and light weedy sorts to £5.” After World War II, large numbers of mainly Clydesdale working horse teams were driven to Wodonga for sale. The March horse sale was the biggest and most important event of the year with overall yardings of 1,000 horses sold over two or even three days. It was a very busy period. All the horses were put through the ring singly, usually by Felix Grundy and generally caught and mouthed by Harold Boon, Andy Elliot or Toy Mulqueeney. The majority of the horses sold were trucked by rail from Wodonga. With developments in technology and the changing role of the horse in modern society, the sale of horses dwindled although horse sales at Wodonga continued until the early 1980s.These items are significant because they represent an important industry in Wodonga's past as a major centre of livestock sales in Victoria.Photographic images of horses on sale at Wodonga Saleyards.wodonga saleyards, horse sales wodonga

The Hamilton-Smith collection was donated by the children of Grace Mary Hamilton-Smith nee Ellwood (1911-2004) and John Hamilton-Smith (1909-1984) who settled in Wodonga in the 1940s. The Ellwood family had lived in north-east Victoria since the late 1800s. Grace’s mother, Rosina Ellwood nee Smale, was the first teacher at Baranduda in 1888, and a foundation member of the C.W.A. Rosina and her husband Mark retired to Wodonga in 1934. Grace and John married at St. David’s Church, Albury in 1941. John was a grazier, and actively involved in Agricultural Societies. The collection contains significant items which reflect the local history of Wodonga, including handmade needlework, books, photographs, a wedding dress, maps, and material relating to the world wars. This item has well documented provenance and a known owner. It forms part of a significant and representative historical collection which reflects the local history of Wodonga. It contributes to our understanding of social and family life in early twentieth century Wodonga, as well as providing interpretative capacity for themes including local history and social history. Front page of a newspaper with cattle lists printed in black ink.newspaper, print, newsprint, cattle, cattle sales, cattle yard, farm, wodonga, hamilton-smith, livestock, hamilton-smith collection