Happy 50th W ies!

On Tuesday, March 7, there was a super special 50th birthday celebration for someone… or somewhere we all know well; our local Woolworths supermarket!

Past and present sta of the Anson Street Woolworths came together on Tuesday to celebrate 50 years since the store, Orange’s first supermarket, opened on Wednesday, March 7, 1973.

Many Orange locals remember the day the supermarket opened its doors and the many changes the building has been through over the decades since.

While he’s not quite the longest-standing member of sta , produce assistant, Chris Fuller, has spent an impressive 39 years at the store, starting out as a “trolley boy” at 17.

“There’s been a lot of history, a lot of changes over the years, lots of refurbishments,” Chris said.

“When it got built there were two houses that got knocked down, then they started building in ‘72 and opened in March ‘73.”

The biggest change, Chris says, has been the growing rate of technological advances available in the store.

“It’s all technology these days,” he said, “I remember the price gun, and having to manually weigh all the produce. And now there’s the self-service machines too.”

The interior appearance of the supermarket has also changed over the years.

“There was a big refurbishment in the late ‘80s, then one in ‘99 and another little one in 2007, then the last one was in 2018,” Chris said.

For Chris, his employment for Woolies has also meant the development of friendships, and one friend, in particular, feels more like family to him.

“My mate, Ian has been there for 42 years, we’re like brothers now.”

Prior to Woolworths being built in Orange, a Woolworth Variety store which included a cafe was located in Summer Street.

Past and present sta celebrated the big day on Tuesday, March 7 with a party in the store’s upstairs sta room, which was decorated with old photographs of the store and advertising from when it first opened.

Smiths chips for one cent and ice cream 39 cents a gallon. Oh, how times have changed!

Orange has experienced incredible growth in the visitor market, which has doubled in value since 2017 and now brings in $500 million each year to the local economy.

But the new general manager of Orange360, Ned Sweetapple, believes there are abundant opportunities to consolidate and grow the industry yet.

Appointed to helm the regional destination marketing body in December last year, Ned brings a wealth of marketing and management experience to the role that spans tourism, hospitality, performing arts and sporting industries, and agribusiness.

Having grown up on a cattle and sheep property between Canowindra and Mandurama, Ned said she jumped at the opportunity to promote an area that’s very