Australia National Stamp Week 1982

Australia Bridge Postal History

September 27, 1982

Australia National Stamp Week 1982

A commemorative postage stamp on the National Stamp Week 1982 :

Issued by Australia

Issued on Sep 27, 1982

Issued for : National Stamp Week, celebrated in 1982 from 27 September to 3 October, is commemorated every second year with a stamp issue.

Design : As 1982 was the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the ‘5/- bridge stamp’, as it is popularly known, was chosen for reproduction on the National Stamp Week issue.

Designed by : Cato Hibberd [After graduating from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Mr Ken Cato served a brief apprenticeship with a design studio. In 1970 he met Mr Terry Hibberd, then an art director for a publishing house, and together they formed Cato Hibberd Design Pty Ltd, Their successful twelve year partnership ended in July 1982, when Mr Cato formed his own company, Ken Cato Design Co. Cato Hibberd‘s previous stamp designs for Australia Post are the 3d blue kookaburra miniature sheet for National Stamp Week 1978, ‘Opening of the High Court Building, Canberra‘, and ’50^th Anniversary First Official Air Mail Australia – UK 1931/81′. In 1982 Cato Hibberd was responsible for the ‘50^th Anniversary of the ABC 1982‘ and ‘National Stamp Week 1982’ stamp designs.]

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 27 Cents

Stamp size : 37.5 mm x 26 mm

Perforation : 13¼ x 13

Paper : APWH stamp paper

Sheet content : 100 (issued)

Printing process : photolithography on a five–colour Heidelberg Speedmaster press

Printer : Cambec Press, Melbourne

About :

The first Australian National Stamp Week was held in 1974 to mark the centenary of the Universal Postal Union, following a meeting of representatives of Victorian stamp dealers and philatelic societies. A small exhibition was held in Melbourne, organised by the newly formed National Stamp Promotion Council (Victoria).
The success of the inaugural National Stamp Week prompted the organisers to hold a meeting of interstate representatives of interested parties. At the meeting, hosted by the Australian Post Office, the decision was made to establish an Australian Stamp Promotion Council, and the format was devised on which the now annual National Stamp Week is based. The Australian Stamp Promotion Council promotes activities during National Stamp Week to publicise stamp collecting, and to gain revenue from the sale of philatelic items which is then used for the further promotion of philately. Every second year a national philatelic exhibition is held in one of the capital cities. The first such exhibition was Sydpex ’80, held in Sydney in 1980. Anpex ’82 was held in Brisbane from 11 to 17 October 1982, following the closing of the Commonwealth Games.
Three stamps were issued by the Postmaster-General’s Department on 14 March 1932 to commemorate the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The denominations of the stamps were 2d (red), 3d (blue) and 5/- (green). The 5/- bridge stamp is now one of Australia‘s most popular stamps, considered by collectors to be an essential acquisition. A sheet of 20 stamps was photographed in order to show the original perforations on the 1982 stamp. One stamp area is shown intact together with sections of eight others on the sheet. The illustration areas were painted out and a single 5/- bridge stamp was photographed, reduced in size, and superimposed on the intact illustration area.
The view of the bridge depicted on the original stamp is from the southern side of the harbour, and closely approximates a drawing inscribed J. J. C. Bradfield, Dr. Sc. Eng., M. lnst. C. E., Chief Engineer, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Dorman, Long & Company Ltd, Contractors, Middlesbrough, England. Photographs, drawings and plans of the partially completed bridge were also used for reference purposes. The inclusion of the passenger liner RMS ‘Orford’ passing under the bridge gives some idea of the huge dimensions of the structure. The designs were prepared by R. A. Harrison, of the Note Printing Branch, and the letterpress and recess dies were engraved by F. D. Manley.
The ‘deep green’ 5/- stamp was recess-printed and issued in sheets of 20 on unwatermarked paper (perf. 11). Only one plate was prepared, comprising 80 impressions divided into four groups of 20, in four horizontal rows of five. The Ash imprint appeared in the centre of the bottom margin. A total of 72,800 5/- stamps were issued.
Post Offices were set up in the pylons on 19 March 1932, the day of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Letters posted on the bridge during the two weeks in which the post offices remained in operation bore a special postmark: a square cancellation inscribed ‘Sydney Harbour Bridge, NSW‘ round the four sides with the date in three lines in the centre; together with an oblong cancellation inscribed ‘Posted On Bridge – During Opening – Celebration’ in three lines. Registered letters were postmarked with a circular cancellation inscribed ‘Sydney Harbour Bridge, SE Pylon’ or ‘Sydney Harbour Bridge, NE Pylon’, depending on which side of the Bridge the letter was posted.
It is of interest to note that soon after the issuing of the Sydney Harbour Bridge commemorative stamp, the 5^th Australasian Philatelic Exhibition was held in Sydney, from 22 March to 1 April 1932. The Exhibition was held in the Blaxland Galleries, and an estimated 10,000 people inspected over 300 exhibits. A special souvenir envelope was sold at the Exhibition, bearing the new Sydney Harbour Bridge stamps.