But after a hard-fought battle, residents and volunteers alike yesterday joined forces to celebrate the first anniversary of the newly refurbished Wagga RAAF Heritage Centre.

Over the past year more than 2700 visitors have flocked to the site, keen to take in a range of exhibits which demonstrate the region's military links to WWII and a rolling history of the defence force's development.

Wagga RAAF Heritage Centre manager Warrant Officer Cal Lippiatt and volunteers Terry Coombs and Wendy Lloyd said the centre had attracted a large number of both interstate and international visitors since it reopened.

"The comments in the comment book are fairly varied and widespread," Warrant Officer Lippiatt said.

"A lot of the apprentices that used to train here leave comments and say it brings back a lot of memories."

Mr Coombs, a former RAAF member who trained at Wagga before being sent to Richmond to work on the Neptune bombers, said meeting the visitors, especially those who have also served with the RAAF, and exchanging stories about the days in the old tin igloo - where the boys lived on base - made the role even more fulfilling.

The centre is now set to welcome in its second year of operation with a new exhibit where visitors will also be able view the remains of Operation Magpies Return, a RAAF bomber crew shot down during the Vietnam War.

The official Base Squadron Wagga Colours which belonged to Base Squadron Wagga from March 1956 to July 1994 will also be placed on display.