Pacific Stamp Box

Edited by John Hunter

THE AUSTRALIAN bicentennial year is about to begin and stamp collectors will have a variety of ma terial to collect both in Australia and over seas to commemorate the event. Included in the special issues and events are: ■ A joint stamp issue between Aus tralia and the US Postal Service in 1988 will feature stamps that have a common design. They will be issued jointly at ded ication ceremonies in both countries on Australia Day, January 26, 1988. This will be the first joint issuance between the two countries. ■ All First Fleet series issues will be ex tended to December 30, 1988.

'■ General Post Offices in each Aus tralian capital city will open on Australia Day. ■ A set of six Tall Ships pre-stamped envelopes are to be released on December 8. Special postmarks will be applied to the envelopes to commemorate the race of the Tall Ships between Hobart and Sydney and their visits to Australian capital cities. ■ A pre-stamped envelope will be is sued on January 6 to mark the Bicenten nial Exhibition in Brisbane. ■ A set of five stamps will be issued on January 26 to complete the First Fleet stamp issues commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet.

For Australia’s bicentennial, Samoa is sued on September 30 four stamps and a stamp sheet featuring explorers of the Pa cific to commemorate the event. Featured are Tasman, Cook, De Bougainville and La Perouse.

ALSO IN Australia, a first will be a special postmark and pre-stamped envelope to commemorate Australia’s inaugural host ing of the World Scouting Jamboree from December 31 to January 9, 1988. The pre stamped envelope will be issued and a special post office at the camp site will provide a pictorial postmark.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA has joined the list of countries that issue maximum cards. On November 11 maximum cards were is sued to accompany the release of the “Aeroplanes in PNG” issue. The cards will, however, in future not be released for each stamp issue, only selected ones.

It seems PNG is back into pre-stamped issues in a serious way. Two envelopes were issued on November 11 to commemorate Christmas and the St John’s Ambulance.

I believe in years to come a pre-stamped envelope will be released to coincide with each stamp issue. PNG should pick up quite a few of the ever-growing band of pre stamped envelope collectors.

NEW ZEALAND has some very special events coming up. Next year sees the cen tenary of the founding of the country’s first philatelic society. To mark the occasion two se-tenant stamps and a miniature sheet will be issued on January 13.

All stamps will feature portraits of Queen Victoria.

The second event of note is the holding of a World Philatelic Exhibition in New Zealand from August 24 to September 2, 1990. A feature of the display will be part of the Queen’s collection.

The Centenary of Electricity in New Zealand will be commemorated by the re lease of four stamps on January 13, 1988.

All stamps have modern graphic designs representing electricity.

CULTURAL EVENTS are always an in teresting design for stamps, and on Janu ary 31 Nauru will issue three stamps

depicting traditional dances.

Dances have been a tradi tional feature of Nauruan life mainly to celebrate special occasions. The 30 cents stamp depicts an ancient Warriors’

Dance “Dagaropa” which was performed by the winners of inter-tribal battles and of competitions held be tween tribal districts. “Da garopa” is the name given to the special spear used by war riors. The dance is intended to represent the tough quali ties of warriors and the anger and violence of battle. It is ac companied by a chant that in volves words of magic against the opponents. In later years when celebrating winning of peaceful competitions, the dancers would include women as shown on the stamp.

Group competitions fea tured skills in wrestling, a type of handball game and other sports, and a feature unique to Nauru the catch ing and taming of frigate birds. The Frigate Bird theme is featured on the 20 cents and

the 50 cents stamps showing children in traditional dress performing dances and mime on catching frigate birds. On the 20 cents stamp, young girl dancers are imitating the birds in flight. The boy on the 50 cents stamp is separate from his team of dancers. He is using a hibiscus stick to attract wild birds to join the tamed frigates on their perching frame.

MANY PACIFIC countries held special displays to commemorate World Post Day on October 9, sponsored by the Universal Postal Union. This year’s theme was “The Post Distance No Problem”, a partic ularly apt one for the islands due to their often remote locations.

Nauru highlighted the theme by issu ing a stamp and miniature sheet. The de sign of the stamp depicts Nauru’s air mail label and the miniature sheet consists of a map showing air mail routes linking Nauru with the world.

VANUATU issued a set of four stamps on September 22 featuring insects from Vanuatu.

SOLOMON ISLANDS issued an attrac tive set of stamps on September 23 to commemorate Christmas. The stamps feature orchids from the islands.

NIUE released a set of four stamps on Sep tember 25, featuring tennis as an Olympic sport to commemorate the XXIV Olym pic Games in Seoul next year. The player featured is Boris Becker, Wimbledon win ner in 1985 and ’B6.

Earlier this year, on June 17, Niue is sued a $5 coin also commemorating the Olympics and featuring Becker. □