News

Wiggerinks trace family history back to Deni

By Eamon Kurta

Jan 6, 2026

Tracy Wiggerink at the Pastoral Times office.

Tracy and Paul Wiggerink visited Deniliquin recently as part of a family history journey that led them back to one of the district’s earliest and most influential figures - Tracy’s great‑great uncle, Dr David Griffith Jones.

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Dr Jones was a practising doctor and pastoralist who went on to found the Deniliquin Telegraph and Deniliquin Pastoral Times.

The first issue of the PT was published on May 26, 1859, making it the first newspaper in the Riverina and one of the earliest provincial papers in Australia.

Beyond journalism, he played a key role in major developments such as extending the telegraph line to Deniliquin and helping establish the Deniliquin-Moama railway.

For Tracy, visiting Deniliquin offered a chance to walk in the footsteps of an ancestor who helped shape the town’s early identity.

She had been following her family history for 15 years, and to discover the legacy of her great-great uncle was profoundly reflective for her.

“It’s just amazing to see what someone, so long ago, started is still going,” Tracy shared.

The couple said they enjoyed their time exploring Deniliquin and learning more about the legacy Dr Jones left behind.