Newsletter 76 – January 2018

David Loe was nominated by the North Shore Philatelic Society who stated:

“David joined the society on 14 August 1996, describing his collecting interest as ‘Iceland’ and came on to the committee at the 1999 AGM.

“He was Exhibits Secretary for the National Exhibitions held by the North Shore in 2002 and 2005 and has been actively involved in judging our local exhibitions over many years.  

[He was judging at the society’s latest exhibition in October 2017 when his award was presented.]

“David has exhibited internationally since 1995 and is a qualified national and international judge and has represented this country at international exhibitions both as a commissioner and judge on many occasions.  He is currently Chairman of the NZ Philatelic Judges Association.

“He has written extensively for philatelic magazines on Icelandic postal history, a subject dear to his heart, as shown by the excellent results he has achieved in competitions at many overseas shows.”

David was presented with his award at the October North Shore Exhibition where, once again, he had been judging the entries.

Learning opportunities

PHILATELIC EDUCATION

As a result of the education/training questionnaire Federation decided on a number of activities aimed at providing resources to assist collectors and member societies.  Their initial efforts have been directed toward material that can be posted on the webpage.  This option was chosen as any material placed on the web is accessible to much wider range of people and Federation has endorsed the view they should be trying to reach all collectors.

The first results of this can now be found on the Federation website.  This includes a guide to a wide range of websites.  Anyone seeking collecting information should find these sites a useful starting point.  Federation has also developed a Glossary of philatelic and postcard terms.

Both of these can be found at https://nzpf.org.nz/resources/for-collectors/

Please check these out.  We welcome your suggestions for additions to both pages and hearing of any alterations you believe should be made.

Over the next few months additional material will be placed in the Resources area including guidelines for your society or an individual conducting philatelic workshops.

Club news

The following provides the details presented to the Federation meeting in November by your regional delegates.  In many cases the information has been provided to them directly or through the clubs’ newsletters.  Some time is set aside each meeting to discuss these reports as they are intended to inform the executive of the activities of the Federation’s members and identify issues they might be able to address.  They are included here to show the wide spread of activities of our societies around the country.

We are sure you will find some of the comments of interest and some may surprise you.

Please ensure your delegates are advised of your club’s activities and concerns so they may be raised at the Federation’s meetings.

NORTHERN REGION

All the clubs are preparing for Royalpex with this being the first National Exhibition in the region since 2005. The clubs are also preparing their programmes for 2018.

Auckland Philatelic Society

The club is holding its Christmas Party 5 December; all member of any Northern region stamp club are welcome to attend. The club has had a purge of members who haven’t paid subs. There is a steady flow of new members following recommendations from local stamp dealers which is nice to see. The club is trying a postal auction in November to see if this sparks more interest.

South Auckland Philatelic Society

One prospective new member based on a referral from Auckland City Stamps. Members are requesting some workshops for 2018 which will be worked into the programme.

Whangarei

A library day for clubs was attended but not as successful for the stamp club as had been hoped primarily due to the location in room. There were eight names of interested persons taken at the recent stamp fair but no show so far at meetings. The patron Don Richardson has passed away and John Comrie is now patron.

North Shore

Club meeting have been going well with good attendance.  The club ran three holiday programmes at libraries in the school holidays for children with some fifty kids attending.  Some came to the North Shore exhibition in October and received a ‘goodie bag’ of stamps.  The holiday programme sessions were well-received by library staff.  More displays, etc. will follow.  [Note the Northern delegate has been asked to provide Federation with more information about the holiday programme.]

David Loe received his Federation Award of Merit at the North Shore Exhibition which he was not expecting and he was grateful to all involved [see report above].

Waikato

Meetings have been well attended by members.  The Ambury shield Competition was again well attended from collectors in the region.  The Waikato Society won the Ambury Shield [see report below].  The stamp dealers at the event reported an average day.

Tauranga & Districts

Hosted Ambury Shield activities, having won last year, and came second this year.  The club has reported 25% of its members have joined the club in the last 12 months.

Postal History

The society has 12-15 members attending its Auckland meetings.  The librarian is reorganising stock in the library as the collection is in boxes and hard to access.

Graham Robertson was honoured by his Federation Award of Merit [reported in newsletter 75].

CENTRAL REGION

July

Taranaki held its special general meeting on 3 July where John Kilpatrick was nominated as President and other officers were duly elected.  This meeting and a positive result close out the risk of the Society closing due to the inability to elect officers to replace those who stood down.

August

The Hawke’s Bay Philatelic Society held their AGM on the 7^th August. The committee was re-elected wholesale with John Paston remaining as the President.

On 12 August, the Taranaki Philatelic Society held their annual stamp fair at the Blind Foundation Hall in New Plymouth.

Paul McTaggart presented at the Upper Hutt meeting talking on the New Zealand 1946 Peace Commemorative Issue.

On 18 August, the Taranaki Philatelic Society awarded the Frank Watters award to Paul McTaggart from the Hutt Valley Philatelic Society for services to Youth Philately. This award was presented to Paul at the Hutt Valley meeting in September.

28 August was the annual Te Papa joint meeting of Royal, Wellington and Hutt Valley clubs. This year the topic was Airmail with material including rejected designs coming out of the archive. There were presentations by Patrick Brownsey, Bob Watson, Doug Tennant and Stephen Jones.

September

Leigh Gravestock presented at Waikato Philatelic Society on Wellington Airport

The Hutt Valley Philatelic Society had a visit from the Juniors to talk about their Stamp Camp experiences the same time that the club competitions were being held. Sue Vernall, assisted by Paul McTaggart, judged the exhibits. It was noted that once again participating juniors led the field with Olivia Chen winning the Thematic category.

October

The Ambury Shield was held in Hamilton on 28 October 2017.  The Lower Hutt Junior Stamp Club was once again successful at winning the PYC Interclub shield which is judged at this event.

The Upper Hutt Stamp Club received a presentation from Bob Gibson on Federation and some of his extensive collection of Modern Australia.

The Hutt Valley Philatelic Society celebrated 25 years of John Mowbray presentations with show and tell by John on items from the International auction.  The milestone was then followed with a celebration marked by a special cake

Leigh Gravestock gave a presentation on 17 October to the Kapiti Philatelic Society on Wellington Airport and will be giving this talk to Hawkes Bay Philatelic Society on 6 November.

SOUTHERN REGION

Nelson

The Nelson society seems to be ticking over with their monthly meetings and agenda as planned they still produce a very good newsletter which is always worth reading

Marlborough

For Marlborough it has been a busy few months with the official opening of the new club room. This was well attended and included Stephen Chivers.  Stephen followed up at the club meeting on Sunday with a display and talk on his native birds which was very interesting and well attended.

At the October meeting, local collector Linda Gyles, gave a display and talk on two of her collecting interests Sailing ships and Horses. On a personal note I think it’s great when a local member displays what they collect as more often we see exhibits but rarely the collections of members who don’t exhibit.  So it was good to see (not sure how we can encourage members to show their collections).

The Marlborough club also had a stamp fair over the weekend with material from the club’s collections for sale.  This was well attended by members and other collectors and we gained at least one new member so it was very beneficial.

Christchurch

Christchurch has had a few busy months firstly with holding the biennial literature exhibition.  This was well supported with entries.  They were displayed at the Mandeville St rooms with several dealers in attendance. Earlier, they also had Stephen Chivers talking on his birds in September.  I must say his PowerPoint presentation for this is really good.

I was fortunate enough to be invited down for their October meeting and asked to display my Croatian landscapes. This was the first time I’ve been asked to give a talk outside of Blenheim so was a bit nervous but very glad I was able to do it.  All the members were friendly and interested.

NZ Stamp Collectors

In July members were encouraged to bring entries for their monthly one-page competition.  Something has worked as the two entries in July, was three in August and nine in September. Their normal meeting occurs on a Wednesday and when there are five Wednesdays in a month they have a special ‘knockdown’ sale.

Timaru

The club is ticking along OK.  Their fair held on 30 September appears to have been well attended by buyers and sellers.

Dunedin

Dunedin has had their AGM recently and, apart from one committee change, no other changes.  They are going to set up an event in Dunedin with Timaru and Southland societies in early 2018.

Southland

Southland Stamp club had its annual fair in October with two dealers from Christchurch and two from Dunedin. It was a sparkling hot spring day that diminished the public throughput somewhat. There was a good range of stock on hand for the public to buy.

The monthly Tuesday afternoon meeting is proving popular. It is very informal and an opportunity for members to discuss their queries.  The exchange packets are going very well with some high value books selling well.

VISITS TO CLUBS BY NZPF EXECUTIVE

At the November meeting the executive was asked to update the details of clubs/societies they have visited since the beginning of 2017.  early half (13 or 46%) of the target clubs had been visited and four more have since had a visit meaning 17 (or over 60%) have been visited and at least two more clubs have been programmed for a visit before the end of the year.

While this was considered a good achievement the executive are to look at those clubs yet scheduled for a visit and see if one can be arranged.  The executive members who have visited clubs report positive responses to their attendance.

MARLBOROUGH STAMP COLLECTORS’ CLUB

Stephen Chivers commented on the new club rooms at Blenheim.

“One of the enjoyable parts of this job are the invitations we get every now and then.  One such was an invitation to the opening of Marlborough Stamp Collectors’ Club’s new club rooms on 30 September at Brayshaw Heritage Park.

“A crowd of just over 50 turned up to the celebration and I was one of the guest speakers, having left Wellington in the rain that morning to a hot Blenheim.

“I couldn’t get over the energy and enthusiasm the members have shown to get the building to where it is.

“The club set themselves an initial budget of $50,000 to move and restore the old school room from Clarence, but costs mounted so extra fund raising was required to get to $80,000.  The only thing left now is to install a kitchen which will use up the rest of the funds.  They have managed to achieve this without borrowing from a bank and met their aim of no loan burden for future members.”

Information for exhibitors

LOCAL, REGIONAL AND INTER-CLUB COMPETITIONS

North Shore Philatelic Society Annual Exhibition – 7 October

This event took place at St Georges Church Hall in Takapuna and featured six dealers, a ‘Penny Black’ treasure hunt, raffles and refreshments.  The judges were David Loe (Chair), Tim Beach and Mark Benvie awarded the following prizes:

Samantha Rowe – Youth Grand Award
Vacky Noble (Whangarei) – Len Jury Novice Award
Garry Nicol – Best Modern Trophy (for the fourth year in a row)
Ross Marshall (Waikato) – Zeapex Award for best postal history
Monica Comrie – Shona Trophy for her Open class exhibit
Bruce Tapp (Waikato) – Penny Black Trophy (Auckland City Stamps) best Commonwealth
Bruce Tapp (Waikato) – Lois Foote Rosebowl for best Display
Waikato Philatelic Society – Society Inter-club Trophy
Ross Marshall (Waikato) – Rob Hunt Memorial Grand Award

Ambury Shield, Hamilton – 28 October

This year’s event was ‘hosted’ by last year’s winner Tauranga & Districts Stamp Club.

John Waller of Waikato reported:

“Regrettably the day was miserable and this, combined with ill health of some well-known collectors, reduced the number attending but there was still a reasonable crowd.  This year, we trialled having seven dealers rather than the usual six with postcard dealer Eric Diamond joining us.

“The morning was all about meeting up with old friends, spending money at the dealers and listening to Brian Ducker’s most interesting talk based on his ten frame postcard display of New Zealand railway material.

“The cafeteria was fairly busy most of the day with the Tapp household doing a fabulous job of keeping everyone happy.  Wonderful food at good prices.

“In the afternoon came the main event – the prize-giving – with the judging having taken place a fortnight before.  After the introductions it was down to business.  Tauranga and District Stamp Club President Ross Haycock thanked the judges and discussed what the Ambury Shield was all about, impressing upon us that it was all about encouraging novice collectors as expounded by Alan Ambury many years ago when the competition was founded.

“The Philatelic Youth Council was first up and their Interclub Trophy went to Lower Hutt Junior Stamp Club.

“After Ross Haycock had handed out individual results to the clubs it was time for the major awards. The Novice Award went to Bob Ellis of the Tauranga and District Stamp Club

“The Best in Show Award went to Lindsay Chitty of the Waikato Philatelic Society (who was currently the New Zealand Commissioner at the Brasilia Exhibition).

“Finally the Ambury Shield was won by the Waikato Philatelic Society by a very small margin over the Tauranga and District Stamp Club with another small margin back to the Whangarei Philatelic Society in third place.”

For these and other philatelic activities check the NZPF website at https://nzpf.org.nz/whats-on/

If you want your activity to be listed or information currently on the website to be updated or corrected please contact [email protected]

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS

Exhibitions notified for 2018 are as follows:

• Canberra 2018 http://canberrastamps.org/canberra-2018/ Australian half-National 16-18 March 2018, Commissioner Josh Black
• Newcastle 2018 http://newcastlephilatelicsociety.org.au/2018-newcastle-stamp-and-coin-expo/ Australian half-National 25-27 May 2018, Commissioner Mark Benvie

• Praga 2018 praga2018.cz , Specialised FIP (Trad, Post H, Modern, Open and 1-frame), 15-18 August 2018, Commissioner Barry Scott
• Macao 2018

• The Armistice Stamp Show http://armisticestampshow.com NZ National, 9-11 November 2018, Dunedin
• Thailand 2018, which replaces the previously advertised Malaysia 2018 exhibition, is to be held in Bankok 28 November – 3 December.  This will be an FIP exhibition including FIP Congress.  Commissioner Jenny Banfield.

NZ2020 INTERNATIONAL STAMP EXHIBITION AUCKLAND

Yes! Thirty years after our last international exhibition in New Zealand (NZ1990) we will again see an international exhibition in Auckland.  The event has received FIAP endorsement and a formal contract with FIAP will be signed during Macao 2018.

The venue is the Ellerslie Event Centre – more commonly known as the Ellerslie Race Course.  There are good transport options to the site (including public transport – bus and train), plenty of parking and nearby hotel accommodation.

This will be a great opportunity to see exhibits rarely if ever seen in this country and a wide range of dealers and postal administrations offering their products.

Over the coming two years societies in New Zealand will be asked to provide support in a number of different ways and Federation is sure this will be readily forthcoming. Watch for more information.

 

APF AND NZPF SIGN A NEW ACCORD

Over the last year the executive officers of both the APF and NZPF have been reviewing the Accord between the two parties that was first signed in 1990.  Both parties were happy with the way in which the Accord has been working to the benefit of both country’s exhibitors and judges.  However, over time some variations had occurred in the text used by each Federation and there have been significant changes arising in the exhibiting ‘scene’ since 1990.  It was considered appropriate to more accurately reflect the changes and an amended document was developed and readily and amicably agreed by both parties.

This culminated in a formal signing of the amended document during the Palmarès at Royalpex 2017.  The new document can be seen on the NZPF website at:

https://nzpf.org.nz/exhibitions/exhibition-organisation/contractsaccords/apf-nzpf-accord/

Exhibition reports

BANDUNG 2017

Stephen Chivers reported I had never heard of Bandung before the Indonesian Philatelic Federation decided to hold an exhibition there.  So, I needed to find out a little about the city.  It was originally a town built on a river basin to support the tea plantations planted by the Dutch in the eighteenth century on the volcanic mountains surrounding the town.  It is now the capital of West Java and has a population of 2,500,000.  Located 768 m above sea level it has cooler year round temperatures than most other Indonesian cities.  Later I found that my sister had lived there while her husband was involved with the construction of some thermal power stations.  You couldn’t really see the hills and mountains most of the time due to the smog which was a shame as it would be a good back drop to the Old Dutch colonial buildings.

The exhibition was held in 3,250 m² of space in the Trans Convention Centre which is integrated within the Trans Studio complex.  The complex has an indoor theme park, shopping mall, large food court and is connected to both the Trans Luxurious and Ibis hotels.  The exhibition was held on the third floor, the dealers and postal administrations on the second with the commissioner, jury and meeting rooms on the first floor.  As we were accommodated in the Ibis hotel there was little reason to leave the complex except for the Palmares and opening function.  As it was all in the one area there were no issues trying to negotiate the snarled up traffic outside each day.  The hotel was pretty basic but the positive was the convenience of the location.

There were about 56 dealers and postal administrations.  Most of the dealers had a good range of Indonesia and Dutch East Indies and had a steady flow of customers but those that did not didn’t seem busy and the postal administrations also seemed quiet.  However, Indonesia Post was very busy, with long queues.  Even though NZ Post wasn’t there I was surprised Australia Post (Indonesia’s neighbour) had also stayed away.  There was a steady stream of visitors to the exhibition but not as many as I had seen in China, Taipei and Singapore.  There were a number of children’s activities most days which seen very popular.  Security was very good yet not ‘in your face’. There were 486 exhibits in approximately 1900 frames.

Communications with the Organising Committee was very good although some requests from them were repeated – I would have sent scans of my passport about five times and about the same number of requests of my flight details.  I’m not sure how good the communication was among themselves but I know they had a lot on their plate working with their Customs,

The Indonesia Rupiah currency was a bit difficult getting my head around.  The currency rate was 1 NZ$1 = Rps10,000 so I found myself having to count the number of zeros on the notes.  Sometimes I got a Rps50,000 note mixed up with Rps5,000 and ended up with a wallet full of Rps5,000 notes that were only worth NZ$5 each.  Buying a cover for Rps1,000,000 seemed a lot but was, in reality, only NZ$100.  Meals in the mall were quite cheap and very tasty, ranging from Rps50,000-200,000.

Two New Zealand exhibits required checking by the expert committee: three covers in Tony’s exhibit required certificates to prove the untied stamps belong to the covers, and one cover in David’s exhibit required a certificate to prove it is genuine.

New Zealand Customs was once again a breeze, with Kevin Ross doing a very good job with the paper work.  I didn’t get any paper until I’d left the country, but this time on returning I was asked if I had any customs paper work on leaving NZ.  Once the Customs officer checked her computer with my import document all was OK.

Bandung Customs seemed very disorganised, but surprisingly worked OK.  The bags carrying the exhibits were sealed by Customs and then given back to us to take to the exhibition hall.  There the bags were opened by Customs and the frame envelopes counted.  Some were opened for a random check of the pages to confirm they matched up with the Customs documents that I had previously emailed over and then all were released back for me to take to the bin room.

Once at the bin room volunteers counted the pages in each envelope.  Once the pages were counted I was allotted two or three volunteers to assist in putting up all up the pages in the frames.  They got me to check each frame before the door came down and was sealed.  They did a very good job but I did note a couple of pages in the wrong order which I was able to fix.  This was where having the page numbering on the front proved very handy.  Another point, which Norman Banfield, has mentioned before, is that the protectors should be cut off close to the page size not leaving an extra 25mm (as I use to do).

Results
David Loe Icelandic Postal Rates 1870-1955 PH 5 fr 83 V
Lindsay Chitty Prisoner of War Correspondence, Japanese Occupation of the Far East, WW II 1942-45 PH 8 fr 92 G + SP
Monica Comie Civil Censorship Process Australia WW II PH 8 fr 88 LV + SP
Norman Banfield Russia – airmail services 1922-1950 Aero 8 fr 91 G + SP
Tony Schluter New Zealand’s Victorian Era Postal History to 1876 PH 5 fr 80 V

The dismounting was also well organised.  Once the exhibition closed, each commissioner was given a set time to meet at the bin room.  From there I was given a couple of volunteers who opened up the frames for Norman and I to dismount the exhibits.  Once dismounted, I signed the bin room form saying I had received each of the exhibits.  I then took the bag of exhibits to the Customs area where Custom did another random check before sealing the bag and handing it over to a logistics company.  I didn’t see the bags again until the next day at the airport where they were waiting outside the terminal under the watchful eye of the logistic employee.

However, I couldn’t collect them until I had a boarding pass; and, then they wouldn’t let me into the airport terminal until an hour or so before the flight.  So along, with some other commissioners, I had to sit next to the bags for another hour or so, until we were allowed into the terminal.  Once in the airport there were no issues.  I was just thankful that the bags had arrived at the correct airport and that my overweight carry-on suitcase was not weighed.

The medals, catalogues, Palmares and special prizes ended up weighing 8kg so I took up Jeff Long’s offer to bring them back into the country otherwise my luggage would have been really overweight.

ADELAIDE STAMPEX 2017

Sue Claridge advised it was a pleasure to be appointed commissioner with Denise Rosenfeldt for this Australian exhibition.  The show had 280 frames that comprised of 107 entries roughly split between 50 multi-frames and the remainder being one frame exhibits.

Participation in the Jury comprising of seventeen members was a reminder of the complexity of juries. In this case a delayed starting time and being one judge down in my team, caused by a last-minute withdrawal led to me having additional responsibilities.    Additionally, the time pressure by the Jury Chair, to have all points completed by Friday PM was challenging. I felt I did not give justice to checking all the other teams’ points allocations, due to time restraints.

The ‘showman’ programme, used in Australia was not without difficulties and a computer glitch meant that critiques were not able to be printed out. This caused some difficulties in the preparation of these for return with the exhibits.  I much prefer to prepare critiques on the computer and it ensures the correct addition of points awards.

It was hard work judging the large number of one frames and revenues with only two judges and it was a real pleasure to work with Ian McMahon on the revenue section.  The apprentice I was allocated was excellent and I had no reservations in recommending a successful apprenticeship for him.

Results
Lindsay Chitty received “Best in Show One-frame” and David Loe “Best in Class One frame”
Alastair Watson Whales & Dolphins on Cacheted Covers from Namesake US Submarines 1fr G 87 OF (Cachet cover)
Alistair Watson, Alastair The Blue Whale 1fr LS 74 OF
Bob Watson Surface Letter Postage Rates from NZ to USA: A Survey from 1891 – 1948 1fr G 85 OF (PH)
Brian Marshall Bolivian Censored Covers From The Chaco War 1932-1935 1fr LS 73 OF
David Loe Iceland I Gildi Overprints 1902-3 1fr LG+SP 93 OF (Trad)
Fred Saunders Captain Cook’s New Holland 1fr LS 70 OF (Open)
Gerald Ellott Big Tree Petrol Advertising Campaign 1925-1929 1fr G 86 OF (PH 2C)
Grace Phillips Kiwi Kai 2fr LS 74 Open
Jenny Banfield Taxed from the Cradle to the Grave 5fr V 76 Revenues
Jenny Long Estuary to Esplanade, The Sumner Coast 3fr G 86 Postcards
Karen Jeffrey Homes of the British Monarch Built from 1070-1913 1fr SB 64 OF (Postcard)
Lindsay Chitty Australian Prisoner of War Postal History To And From The Far East WWII 1fr LV 84 OF (PH)
Lindsay Chitty NZ Prisoner of War Aerogrammes and Postcards 1941-45 1fr LG 90 OF (PSty)
Lindsay Chitty Postcards Relating to the Ruhleben Civilian Internee Camp WWI, Germany 1fr G 89 OF (Postcard)
Lindsay Chitty The NZ 1 1/2 d Boer War Contingent Stamp and Postal Use 1fr LG+SP 93 OF (Trad)
Lindsay Chitty The Ruhleben Civilian Internee Camp of WWI 1fr LV 84 OF (Open)
Louise Brownie The Kauri Tree 3fr LS 72 Open
Lynne Nicholl Bees 5fr LV 81 Open
Mark Wooller The Kauri Tree 2fr LS 71 Open
Matt Henderson Global Warming – World Environmental Concern 1fr S 65 OF (Open)
Monica Comrie Honey 5fr V 77 Open
Murray Clark The First Sideface Stamps of New Zealand 1fr LV 80 OF (Trad)
Murray Clark The Threepence Second Sideface of New Zealand 1fr LV 82 OF (Trad)
Paul McTaggart Supreme Valour 5fr LV 82 Open
Peter Bamber A Sweet Device 1fr S 69 OF (Them)
Peter Bamber Peter The Wild Roses Tamed 1fr S 67 OF (Them)
Rick Oxenham Motorcycle Courier Service CAM 1 1fr V 76 OF (PH)
Ross Marshall Oasis Station – Bunger Hills Soviet Antarctic Expedition 1fr LG 92 OF (Polar)
Ross Marshall Poland Judicial Mail 1fr LG 91 OF (PH)
Ross Marshall West Coast Coal Shipping 1fr G 85 OF (Postcard)
Stephen Chivers Mandalay 1fr LV 83 OF (Postcard)
Stephen Chivers Niue Telegraph 1fr LV 81 OF
Stephen Chivers NZ 1997 Christmas 1fr LV 82 OF (Trad)
Sue Simmonds In Pursuit of the North Pole 5fr G 85 Open
Sue Vernall Salisbury – Cathedral City of England 3fr LV 80 Postcards
Tim Beach NZ 1946 Peace 5d Navy 1fr LV 84 OF
Tony Thackery NZ First Day Covers 1935-1951 5fr V 75 FDC

15^TH NATIONAL PHILATELIC LITERATURE EXHIBITION, CHRISTCHURCH

The exhibition was held as scheduled over the weekend of 30 Sep and 1 Oct 2017 at the Philatelic Centre.  The display was set up in the Christchurch Philatelic Society (CPS) library and was held in conjunction with the NZSDA stamp fair in conjunction.

Most people who came in for the fair also wandered around the library so it was not a case of people not finding us.  Some visitors had never been into the library and had no idea of its extensive nature.

We also had a good number of enquiries as to when some of the works would be available for borrowing, an indicator of interest and that the topics covered by the works are of interest to collectors here.

The 75 entries came from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaya, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, USA, UK and Ukraine.  We were certainly pleased with the level of support from all around the world that we got to assist us in our efforts and were very appreciative for it.

Results can be found at:

https://nzpf.org.nz/exhibitions/results-national-exhibitions/literature-exhibitions/15th-literature/

BRASILIA 2017

Lindsay Chitty reported thirty-one frames of exhibits were taken from nine New Zealand exhibitors to Brasilia.  The exhibition could have handled more total entries and I suspect the cost of the exhibition entry fees had an impact on this.  There were 464 exhibits from which 18 Large Gold, and 74 Gold medals were awarded.  The overall quality of the exhibits was very high.

Brasilia is not an easy place to get to.  My itinerary took me from Wellington – Auckland – Santiago – San Paulo – Brasilia.  The worst feature was arriving at San Paulo at 11.30 pm and having to transfer to the Domestic airport to find it was closed.  The shuttle that I had pre-booked, knew of an area in the airport that was open to incoming domestic flights which was safe with security staff present.  So I had 6½ hours without sleep “guarding” the exhibits.

Returning was better with a much better flight schedule with less waiting at airports, Brasilia – Rio – Santiago – Auckland – Wellington.

The Customs agents did a good job, and getting Customs clearance leaving New Zealand was very easy.  I cleared customs in San Paulo, arriving at 11.30pm.  I had difficulty finding anyone on the “Goods to Declare” line.  Eventually an officer arrived who wanted to inspect every sheet.  I gave him a one frame to start with and after completing this he gave up and signed the paperwork.  On returning I contacted Customs at Brasilia who didn’t want to know me.  So my bags were checked through to Auckland on check-in.  At Rio, I tried to contact Customs as I had been asked to do at Brasilia, but could not even find outgoing Customs.  I was glad to receive my bags at Auckland.

The Brazilians were very good hosts and the Commissioners and exhibitors were made very welcome. There were two exhibitions being run at the same time in the same conference centre – a National as well as the International exhibition. The dealers (not numerous) were mostly with the National Exhibition, and included Numismatic and other collectables.

The official functions including the opening, the Palmares and the Royal Society of London dinner were all highly successful events, with very good food and company.

The accommodation was first rate, being very comfortable and a very good food.

There were some features of the exhibition that were surprising to some of the Commissioners. There was no bin room as we know it, and we just waited until there was an available Brazilian to help, and each Commissioner mounted the exhibits he / she carried. There was some difficulty in communications and there were changes in times from the issued itinerary, and meeting venues, but we got there in the end. Jenny Banfield with her tutorial on Open Philately had a time and venue change from the published programme.

The judging was conducted in an efficient manner, and the results were published on the website as soon as judging was completed, which is where I obtained them. There was no communication between the jury and myself with this.

I had difficulty obtaining the breakdown of marks, and at the discussion at the frames; could only get some of the New Zealand breakdowns. I applied to have the balance given to me, and at the time of writing, have not received them.

At the Palmares function, mention was made about the changes in attitude to judging exhibits, and in particular the emphasis on a strong storyline, as part of development.

I attended the seminar on Postal Stationery. This was a lecture series facilitated by Mr Lars Engelbrecht from Denmark and went on to assessing exhibits over about a 4 hour period. This was a most enjoyable and rewarding experience, and I feel I have come back with a much better feeling on the way judging of Postal Stationery is being approached now.

Results
Sue Claridge Italian POW Mail in Egypt 1940 – 1946, PH, 5fr, 82 V
Ross Marshall Russian Mail to Britain “via Hamburg, PH, 1fr, 86
Stephen Chivers New Zealand 1997 Christmas Trad, 1fr, 80
Nilo Dizon Jr. The Hologram in Philately Trad, 5fr, 80 V
Annalise Smith Children’s Books – Piecing together the Story of Children’s Stories Youth, 3fr, 80, V
Ryan Smith The Armed Forces Youth, 3fr, 80 V
Lachlan Smith Gold Youth, 4fr, 80, V
Conor Smith Antarctica, Youth, 1fr, 73, S
Lindsay Chitty The New Zealand First Pictorial issue of 1898, Trad, 8fr, 88, LV

I would like to thank the Federation for appointing me to be Commissioner to Brasilia 2017.  The experience of enjoying a major stamp exhibition such of this has been very rewarding for me; thank you!

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