Farmer Colin McCrabb and former Wanganella Tidy Towns committee member Joan Wallace were there to open the capsule in front of eager onlookers.
“It was meant to be opened in 2018 but it wasn’t, so we decided to open it this year,” Mr McCrabb said.
The Wanganella Tidy Towns committee of 1998 put the time capsule in the ground at the village, 30 minutes’ drive north of Deniliquin.
Placed inside were items which painted a picture of Wanganella, organised by the committee and the community.
About 100 people attended the annual Anzac Day service on Monday, and stayed on for the capsule opening.
Mr McCrabb said it was interesting to see what was going on in Wanganella back in 1998.
“Paul Nevinson, a long-time resident, pulled it out and Joan Wallace unrolled it and it had a copy of the Pastoral Times from 1998 in there,” he said.
There were also pictures and a map of the town.
“It was interesting to see the map of the village, and who lived there, and in the paper in particular what wool prices were like.
“What properties were about and who was about and what has changed” were noticeable for Mr McCrabb, who personally submitted photos for the time capsule.
The town committee plans to scan all the documents for historical records, and then distribute the items back to the families who put them there.
Later this year, the time capsule will be replaced by another.
It is anticipated it will be opened again in 20 years.
“It will be interesting to see what changes, because there are new people in the district, and Wanganella is having a population explosion – there’s a lot of young kids about.
“It was very positive, and it was a really nice Anzac Day service commemorating our fallen and those who served.
“Our time capsule was a nice add on and everyone got something out of it.”
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