
Bidgee Whaler
Introduction

The Bidgee Whaler icon drawn by Sylvia Walsh for the Historical Society in 1982 (image courtesy of WWDHS).
These pages feature the writings of my mother, Mrs Sylvia Walsh (1911-1996) of "Sunnyside", Wagga Wagga. Sylvia wrote monthly for the Daily Advertiser during the 1970s and 1980s (and occasionally in the early 1990s) as publicity officer for the Wagga Wagga and District Historical Society. She wrote under the name of "Bidgee Whaler", a legendary character in Wagga's history who had fascinated her from her youth (see details of the legend).
Sylvia Walsh's Bidgee Whaler articles record the activities of the Historical Society and its Herculean efforts to develop its museum at Willans Hill despite limited funds, ageing members and a small number of volunteers to staff it. In 1999 the Willans Hill Museum became part of the Museum of the Riverina.
The Bidgee Whaler articles also contain insights into the history of Wagga Wagga and district. The articles have been scanned and, to assist online searches, keywords added for the people and places mentioned. Carbon copies of articles are shown for a few months where actual clippings are yet to be located – they will be replaced if the clippings are found.
The Bidgee Whaler press clippings
1970-74 1975-1979 1980-1984 1985 onward
If you find Bidgee Whaler articles in the Daily Advertiser that are not included in the above press clippings, please contact me with the issue date so I can include them.
Journal articles by Sylvia Walsh
The Maher and Lloyd Families. Journal of the Wagga Wagga and District Historical Society, number 2, 1969.
In a Bend of the Murrumbidgee – the Foundation of the Catholic Church in Wagga Wagga (1858). Journal of the Wagga Wagga and District Historical Society, number 4, 1980.
Patrick Moran and Family. Journal of the Wagga Wagga and District Historical Society, number 5, 1982.
On Foxborough Hill – Calvary Hospital, Wagga Wagga, its Beginning and Development. Journal of the Wagga Wagga and District Historical Society, number 7, 1986.