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Michael Blake, MAP
Michael
Blake has a long and distinguished record of service and contribution
to philately in Australia.
His service to organised philately began in 1960 as a member of the Southern Districts Philatelic Society where for ten years he was vice president and a committee member. He became a founding member of the Postal Stationery and Postal History Society in 1976 and held high offices of that Society for over thirteen years. His memberships and contribution to Societies extended after that to Societies in the UK, Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society, London, British Society of Australian Philately and the Collectors Club New York. He is a member of many significant National Societies including as Chair of the South Australian Study group since 1991.
He has been an active member of the APF executive as Treasurer for eight years. During that time he has also acted as APF coordinator to several National exhibitions and served on the organising committees of Stampex 86, 91 and 97 and is currently the Jury Chairman and other positions on the Committee for Adelaide Stampex 99.
Michael’s international service to philately includes being the Australian delegate to the FIP Congress in 1993, 1996 and Commissioner to China 96 and Philexfrance 1999. After acting as Australian delegate to the Traditional and Revenue Commissions of the FIP he was elected as a member of that Commission in 1996. He is very active in conducting seminars on traditional philately.
Michael has a number of fine collections which have received high awards Nationally and internationally. He is probably best known for his Tasmanian postal history collection which has been awarded the National Grand Prix in Sydpex 88 and three international gold medals. His New Zealand 1898 Pictorials have received three international large vermeil and a national large gold and he also exhibits South Australia and Tasmania traditional collections. He is also developing collections in Australia military postal history and French Somali coast.
His judging apprenticeship occurred in Cuppex 1987 and since then he has achieved qualification as an FIP accredited Traditional judge serving in Australia 99 and Ibra this year. His National jury service included Secretary to the Jury in Sydney 1995.
Since 1989 Michael has maintained the South Australian philatelic database on behalf of the South Australian Study group and has published work in the Shilling Violet, London Philatelist, Posthorn and Philately from Australia.
Michael is principally responsible for the initial design, sourcing, advertising and administration of the range of philatelic products sold by the APF and was responsible for the production of the first two volumes of the APF notable collections series. These products raise significant income for the APF each year.
He is very active in the conduct of training programmes and teaching seminars. He ran a two day training session on Traditional exhibiting and judging at Canberra in 1998 and will be conducting a significant part of the course in Adelaide in 1999. He has been a frequent speaker at Probus, Rotary and South Australian stamp clubs over a period of years and has given displays at clubs outside South Australia.
He played a prominent role in the establishment of Saphil House and in 1995 was received the Briskham Award for services to South Australian philately.
Michael Blake’s wide contribution to Australian and international philately strongly supports his Membership of the Australian Philatelic Order.
[ Source: APF News, October 1999 ]