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Dr. Tony Orchard is a prolific writer on philatelic matters in magazines and journals and has published an impressive list of books on diverse philatelic subjects. This work is supported by collections and an exhibit of Maritime Mails of Sydney which has been awarded vermeil at Stampex 86 and Stampshow 91 and large vermeil at Wapex 93.
Perhaps his most public face is as the columnist ‘First Impressions’, a 2000 word column on postmarks and associated matters written for Stamp News from 1988 to 1997. Also published in that magazine were regular columns on ‘Journal Reviews’ and ‘Research Reports’ from 1989 to 1997.
He has been responsible for the publication of an impressive list of books in conjunction with other editors and in his own right. Many of these books studied in depth the postmarks of all aspects of the postal service of Sydney and he was also responsible for important sections of the classic work on the Postal history of New South Wales published in 1988. Many of his works were prepared in collaboration with other students of postal markings such as Robert Tobin APR and Robin Occleshaw. Most of these works were published under the banner of Magpie Publications, set up by Tony to produce such works.
In 1992 he began a series of books on the Tasmanian Postal Acts and Regulations which made available many official documents on the postal service in Tasmania under the one series tied by expert commentary by the author. He has managed to produce a philatelic book in all but one year between 1986 and 1999.
His pen has been equally active in the production of articles for philatelic journals over the past seventeen years. These have been published in Philately from Australia, Sydney Views and The Courier. The subjects have been principally on postmark studies and postal history. He has also edited several Exhibition catalogues for exhibitions in Tasmania and the ACT.
He has been editor of the journal of the Tasmanian Philatelic Society titled ‘The Courier’ since it’s inception in 1988 with only two small breaks. He is also a National judge qualified in the postal history discipline.
There is no doubt that Tony has been and continues to be one of Australia’s most prolific philatelic writers.
[ Source: APF News, October 1999 ]