Predating the Wagga Agricultural College, which was founded in 1949, the cottages have served as the on-campus homes of students and staff for more than half a century.

But after more than 50 years of occupation, the row of 18 one-storey cottages have outlasted their usefulness and will be demolished by the end of this year. 

“I imagine there would be a lot of memories for people who were either staff or students that may have stayed in these cottages over the years,” said Wayne Doubleday, manager of the university’s archive collection.

To ensure the history living within their walls is not buried in the demolition process, the university has enlisted the help of local historian Sherry Morris, who will compile a book of photos and stories relating to the cottages. 

Former residents are encouraged to share their stories on via the ‘Remembering Village Way’ portal of the CSU Social website.

“The archives actually have quite limited resources about the cottages, we’ve got a lot of photos but we want to hear more of the personal stories from people who lived here,” said Mr Doubleday.

The decision to demolish the houses came following cost assessments of their ongoing maintenance. 

“They are old. They are 50 year old assets that are due for demolition so that we can improve the student accommodation on campus,” said project manager Emma McCormick.

“[Demolition] will help reduce the maintenance cost and what have you for the university.”

Coupled with their age, the cottages have increasingly fallen out of favour with students, as the campus has continued to expand farther.

Instead of replacing the units with more modern dwellings, the grounds will be landscaped and other housing options across the campus will be consolidated.  

“When the cottages are demolished we will then landscape this precinct, at the moment before we do any of that we’re hoping to gather the information and the personal stories over the decades,” said Ms McCormick.