FIVE decades after Swan Hill was proclaimed a city, there is plenty of room for growth, according to the MC of an event commemorating the occasion.
March 12 marked exactly 50 years since the then Governor of Victoria Sir Rohan Delacombe announced the former borough would become a city.
The Guardian Mid-Murray area manager Rob Duffield anchored a dinner at the Swan Hill Town Hall on Thursday night attended by more than 50 past and present Swan Hillians and connections.
Guest speakers were Ross Mellor, a councillor at the time Swan Hill was proclaimed a city, and Bob Pugsley, the town clerk in 1965.
Event organiser and inaugural mayoress Joyce Wood, Mr Mellor and Mr Pugsley also cut the cake on the night.
“In Bob Pugsley’s time, only a small percentage of roads were sealed, there were problems with sewerage works — basically we had nothing,” Mr Duffield said.
“The Pioneer Settlement was a catalyst for Swan Hill’s development because it was ahead of its time.”
The night was a step back in time for those attending, with memorabilia and photographs on display from 1965.
