It's official: History made as new home officially opens for CSU Regional Archives

Dignitaries, researchers and members of the community gathered to celebrate the reopening of Australia's largest regional archives, which moved from CSU's Turvey Park campus to the William Merrylees Library at the main campus in Boorooma.

While it has been years in the making, the ten-week move was still a hard slog and Charles Sturt Regional Archives manager Wayne Doubleday is happy it's all over with now.

In other news:

"I'm glad it's done and dusted," Mr Doubleday said.

He said the old site had been "bursting at the seams" and apart from providing more room for it to further expand, the new location is also "a lot more up to date."

"We were absolutely packed to the rafters at our South Campus site," he said.

"At the new site we now have more space to grow.

"The new location also has better facilities including disabled access, more parking, there's a coffee shop for people to visit as well."

Mr Doubleday said the archives contain five kilometres of material, including many significant items.

"This includes the first minute book from Wagga City Council, dating from 1870, the very early Country Party Records from the 1920s, there's even very early CWA records," he said.

"On the flip side, we also have our first student register from the Wagga Experiment Farm in 1897.

"That's the earliest student results we have for the university."

Speaking at the archive's official opening, CSU vice chancellor professor Renee Leon said the archives will now be more accessible and thanked everyone involved.

"You've moved history and you've made history," professor Leon said.

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack also addressed the gathering and said the important archives play a vital role in ensuring the accuracy of information.

"Tell your friends and even those who aren't to come out and visit the archives because it is a very special place and I congratulate everybody involved," Mr McCormack said.

Wagga mayor Dallas Tout also praised the "fantastic" new facility while federal president of the Nationals Party Kay Hull reflected on preserving the history of the party, which is housed in the CSU Regional Archives.

Established in 1973, the archives were originally known as the Riverina Special Collection and were located in the Riverina College of Advanced Educational Library.

The archives now house the history and records of Charles Sturt University and its precursor institutions.

They also feature state and public archives from the Riverina and Murray regions of NSW.

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