The simple joys of a well-made seesaw in Collins Park. Photo: CSURA, the Pym Collection.
This week, the Museum of the Riverina takes us back to a simpler time when childhood playgrounds offered hours of fun with a couple of planks of wood.
Collins Park was originally established around 1887 as Newtown Park and it was one of the earliest public parks in Wagga.
Known affectionately as the ‘Bird Park’ by locals, it featured aviaries filled with exotic birds, native animals, duck ponds, huge shady trees, tended flower gardens, swept paths, and open grassy areas for picnics, fetes, and concerts.
Bounded by Forsyth, Thorne, Tompson, and Fox streets, Collins Park has long been a cherished community space.
In the heart of the park stands the Palazzi Memorial, dedicated to Joe Palazzi of Bomen in North Wagga, who lost his life in the Anglo-Boer War on 19 July 1900.
Newtown Park, shown here in the early 1900s, was renamed Collins Park in 1935. Photo: Sherry Morris.
Adding to the park’s historical charm is the cannon, cast in 1795 by F.S. Kinsman of England and originally used on warships.
It was still in good working order when it was consigned to the Wagga Borough Council in November 1880 as a time gun to be fired at one o’clock each day.
Though initially intended to signal time and help residents to sync their timepieces, it was soon relegated to ceremonial events such as Empire Day and other special occasions.
Despite claims the gun was used to quell the conflict between miners and Chinese workers at Lambing Flat near Young, Wagga historian Sherry Morris noted that this was unlikely.
According to the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company, the antique cannon may have been a six-pound brass field gun that arrived on the ship Porpoise in early 1799.
In 1914, the park’s recreational offerings expanded with the addition of swings and seesaws, which quickly became popular with the children.
These simple joys were so well loved that even some of the town’s more rebellious characters (labelled as larrikins by the local papers) couldn’t resist joining in.
Newtown Park was renamed Collins Park in 1935 after the Collins family who originally donated the land.
Today, Collins Park is maintained with families in mind, offering a small playground, a gazebo, a double barbecue and picnic benches.
The park’s primary feature is its impressive collection of 100-year-old trees, including bunya pines and plane trees.
Do you have memories of Collins Park?
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