New Zealand 2005

by Darryl Fuller, Australian Commissioner

The exhibition was held (17-20 November 2005) at the North Shore Events Centre which proved an excellent venue for the exhibition.  There was plenty of space for exhibits and dealers and the lighting was excellent.  The actual anniversary being celebrated was the 150th anniversary of the issue of New Zealand’s first Chalon stamp.  This was celebrated by a number of invited displays from Clubs and others across New Zealand.  The venue itself is not far from Takapuna (Northshore City).  The exhibition went well and there was reasonable attendance over the four days, although the exhibition organisers may have been a bit disappointed, as admission was free.  To be fair to the organisers, attendance was probably down due to a remarkable (for Auckland) week of fine weather.

The competitive exhibits numbered about 550 frames although with invited and other displays there were closer to 750 frames.  The standard was quite high and there was a good cross section of visitors looking at the frames.  Gerald Ellott was the Jury chair, Darryl Fuller was the Australian Commissioner/Judge and he was ably assisted by Allen and Alma Downes, Erica Genge and Ian McMahon, all of whom assisted with getting the large number of Australian exhibits to New Zealand.

Australia provided 179 frames of material and Australian entries maintained a high standard of exhibits, with a number of Australians taking the opportunity to try new exhibits.  Arthur Gray won the Grand Award with his 8 frame exhibit of Australian Commemoratives and Pictorial Issues from 1927 to 1936.  Five other Australian entries won prizes and an exhibit of Australian postal stationery envelopes, by New Zealander Margaret Horton, was the runner-up to the Grand Award.

I would like to commend the Australian exhibitors for their assistance in making the delivery of exhibits as easy as possible.  The Australian GST Custom’s arrangements add a layer of complexity to being a commissioner, but all went smoothly with all exhibitors providing me all the paperwork I needed.  Further, all exhibitors provided title pages and/or synopses in a timely manner which was of great importance to the judging.  I urge exhibitors not to underestimate the importance of this relatively simple task.

One final point I would like to make is to state that the use of Australia Post’s Platinum Express Post to deliver exhibits to the commissioner is highly recommended.  The advantages include: relatively low cost for 3 kilograms; the exhibit is in the mail system for only about 24 hours; it must be signed for and is tracked all the way; and is an acceptable form of delivery for insurance purposes.

Australia Results were:

Traditional

Penny Wells New Zealand: The Penny Universal 1901-1908 Large Silver [72]
R.Gordon Darge The Camel Postman Stamps of Sudan Large Vermeil [80]
Harry Schmidtke Poland, the 1919 to 1924 Period Silver [67]
Keith Garrard French Guinea 1892-1942 Vermeil [76]
Arthur W. Gray The George V Commemorative and Pictorial Issues of Australia 1927-1936 Large Gold +SP [91]
Richard Gurevitch Haiti: 1915-1920 'Provisional Issues' Large Silver [71]
Raymond Todd (Jnr) France - Marianne de Briat Silver [67]
Elsa Todd France - Liberte de Gandon Silver [69]
Robert J. Radley Canal Zone Silver [66]

Postal History

Anthony Lyon New Zealand at War 1939-45 Silver [67]
Ross Duberal Western Australia Postal Markings 1840-1913 Large Vermeil [80]
John C. Bell Portugal to 1853 Vermeil [83]
Ben Palmer The Postal Rates of the Colony of Victoria 1854-1912 Gold +SP [87]
Keith Garrard The Northern Territory of Australia Bronze [55]
David Brindle Danish Military Postal History Large Vermeil [80]

Postal Stationery

Ian McMahon New Zealand. Queen Victoria - King George V Vermeil [75]
Gary Watson Attempting to Create Order from Chaos: The Aerogrammes of Eastern Arabia Vermeil [77]
John Sinfield Panama Republic Stationery to 1940 Large Vermeil +SP [83]
Arturs Neboiss Postcards & Formula Cards of Latvia Silver-Bronze [63]
Erica Genge Forty Years of Definitive Airletters Large Silver [73]
Clyde Ziegeler Bohemia & Moravia Silver [67]

Thematics

Marilyn Syme Telecommunication Vermeil [76]
Ross Wood Ducks Large Silver [72]
Miklos Dombay One Europe Large Silver [73]

Aerophilately and Astrophilately

Charles Bromser When the Leaves Fall Large Vermeil [81]

Maximaphily

Barbara Bartsch Touring Spain Large Silver [70]
Daryl Kibble Australia to the "Max" Vermeil [78]
Ian McMahon Bird Families Silver [65]

Youth

Andrew Verdich Legendary Antarctic Explorers Large Silver +SP [74]

Open / Social

John Lancaster New Zealand Trade Exhibitions 1889 to 1926 Large Vermeil +SP [84]
Raymond Kelly "Memories of Melbourne 1956" Large Silver [74]

One-Frame

Dale Ansell NZ Beer Duties Ruby [82]
Dale Ansell Trans-Australian Railway Diamond +SP [90]
Dave Elsmore Tramway Stamps of Queensland Ruby [87]
Anthony Lyon New Zealand Postal Stationery Cards 1876-1886 Emerald [72]
David Collyer New World to Australasia Emerald
James Shaw New Zealand 4d 1960 Pictorial Ruby [80]

Polar

Graham Englefield From SY "Aurora" to RSV "Aurora Australis" Gold +SP [86]

Postcards

Jeff & Yvette Trinidad Picture Postcards of Western Australia Silver +SP [77]

Other Inquiries / Exhibition Website

Inquiries including the availability of exhibition souvenirs can be addressed to: The Exhibition Secretary, New Zealand 2005, P.O Box 34-253, Birkenhead, North Shore City, New Zealand.  A full list of participants and their medal results can be found on the official exhibition website.

[ Source:  APF News, March 2006 ]