Peter Dale, 72, said he was "deeply saddened" by the news, saying he had powerfully nostalgic memories from when the Commercial Club was still in its prime.

"The place has a long and proud history, so this is a sad passing of Wagga history," Mr Dale said.

"There won't be too many people who remember the good old days. Most of the people I'm remembering are long gone."

Mr Dale's whole family life revolved around the Commercial Club back in the day: his father was the club's manager and snooker champion, his mother was a life member and ardent bowls enthusiast, and he was a young steward and bartender.

He said it was a bustling business hub back in those days, where Wagga's biggest movers and shakers would meet up for a drink and a game of pool.

Those days are long gone, but Mr Dale said they would live on in his memories.

"I lived near there, I went to school across the road, I worked there, spent some enjoyable years learning the trades as a steward there, and was a long-term member there," he said.

"As you can appreciate, there's a lot of memories."

RSL sub-branch president David Gardiner said he too had fond recollections of the Commercial Club, saying it had been an iconic piece of Wagga's landscape for as long as he could remember.

Mr Gardiner said he had made many memorable visits to the club over the decades, and that it had been sad to watch its slow decline over the years.

"It's gone through a lot of stages during its life. It was really a great club to come and visit in years gone past," Mr Gardiner said.

"With the closing of the club, I think the older generation will miss coming here. It is an unfortunate loss for the city because we need these places."

He said the Commercial Club had been in a slow decline for years, despite the RSL's attempts to revive it.

However, he said the RSL itself was still going as strong as ever, and would undoubtedly stick around for many years to come.