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Dear Collectors
Welcome to the 300th edition of Stamp Bulletin Australia. This is another milestone for Australia Post, with 2009 also marking the 200th anniversary of Isaac Nichols’ appointment as postmaster of the New South Wales colony.
Since the previous edition, the national stamp exhibition – Melbourne Stampshow 2009 – took place, held between 23 and 26 July. By all reports it was a great success. Many Philatelic staff attended during the four days, and they all enjoyed talking stamps and catching up with stamp collectors.
Over the next two months we are releasing some wonderful stamp issues. The first is Australian Songbirds, illustrated by Queensland-based artist Christopher Pope. Christopher was responsible for the artwork on last year’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands – Visiting Birds issue, which proved popular in our Bulletin poll, so we have commissioned him to illustrate the beautiful bird species in this issue. I’m sure the detail in the images will impress you as much as it does me.
We then take a step back in time to remember those toys that were popular in the 1950s through to the 1980s. I find nostalgic stamps like these remind me of how simpler the times seemed back then, and how as kids we had fun prior to computer games. (It is time that dulls the memory, isn’t it?) Which leads me on to the next stamp issue: as part of Stamp Collecting Month, which is aimed at getting children interested in stamps, we feature a range of kids’ sports and highlight the fun that can be had in being active.
In “Talking Stamps” Richard Breckon kindly shares his knowledge of Australia’s early commemorative stamps. Richard’s knowledge of Australian philately is vast and I’m sure you will find his article fascinating.
If you have access to the Internet you’ll see that we have added some online exhibitions to the Gallery section of the website www.stamps.com.au/gallery. Two exhibitions currently showing are The Depiction of Queen Elizabeth II on Australian Stamps and A Summer of Cricket.
Until next time,
Noel Leahy
Author
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