National Stamp Week 27.9.1976

An 18c stamp and a miniature sheet of four 18c stamps were issued at all Australian post offices and philatelic sales centres on the opening day of National Stamp Week, 27th September, 1976.

This was only the third miniature sheet in Australian philatelic history. The previous two miniature sheets were issued in 1928 during an international philatelic exhibition in Melbourne and in 1970 to mark the Cook Bicentenary celebrations.

Mr. Ray Honisett's National Stamp Week designs feature a portrait of Blamire Young (1862-1935) an English-born water colourist who played a leading part in the design of the 1913 Kangaroo and Map stamp series, Australia's first uniform stamp issue.

The miniature sheet is intended to illustrate progressive colour steps in photogravure stamp printing. The first stamp is printed in yellow, the second has red added to the yellow base and a further colour effect is achieved in the third stamp by the addition of blue

The Kangaroo stamps of Australia, commonly known as Roos, were the Kangaroo and Map series of definitive stamps of the Australian Commonwealth first issued in 1913. They were issued in 1913, over 12 years after Federation. Although the delay had several causes, one of the major reasons was political wrangling regarding the design. There was a considerable amount of opposition to any inclusion of British royal symbols or profiles.

A design completion was announced in 1911, and several designs, including royal profiles were chosen. The government decided on having only one design, and Charles Frazer, then postmaster-general, inspired the basic outline of the new design.

Blamire Young, a local watercolour artist, was commissioned to produce the final design. There was some criticism and minor changes made, and the first issues were released in January 1913. The stamps were issued in 16 values ranging from a halfpenny to a two pound value.

When Joseph Cook took over as Prime Minister in mid-1913, he promptly had issued a series of stamps featuring the profile King George V. However, the Kangaroo and Map series continued to be issued, and was not removed from sale for over thirty years.

Thank you Maria.