Got it licked: Charles Cameron with collectable stamps.
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
GEELONG Philatelic Society has been leaving its stamp on the city for 80 years.
And it’s celebrating the milestone by making every post a winner with its Geepex 80 National Stamp Fair next week.
Club publicity officer Charles Cameron said the event promised to be a treat for collectors.
“If you collect stamps then you can’t afford not to be a member of our stamp club,” Charles declared.
“It’s great for members to be able to meet with like-minded people and share information about our hobby.
“The club is also a great source of stamps for collections,” Charles added with a wink.
Many hobby collectors hesitated before visiting a stamp club, regarding themselves as “only beginners”, he said.
“Don’t worry about that,” Charles reassured, “we’re all beginners at some point.
“You’ll meet club members from all walks of life who just enjoy collecting stamps.
“Our members cover the full spectrum of stamp collectors, from those who have only very limited budgets through to those who exhibit nationally.”
Charles said members enjoyed benefits such as the opportunity to peruse sales sheets at club meetings, offering the chance to purchase stamps from all around the world at a lot less than catalogue prices.
“Twice a year we conduct a sale by tender where members submit lots for sale and pick up lots of bargains,” he said.
Members specialising in various areas of philately put on displays of their collections and addressed the club on their chosen fields of expertise.
Charles said the society possessed a range of philatelic books, catalogues and magazines available for members to borrow.
The celebration of the 80th anniversary of Geelong Philatelic Society from 1931 to 2011 runs from August 5 to 7 at Geelong West Town Hall.
Geepex 80 includes a National One Frame Competition and an annual congress of Victorian Philatelic Council.
Charles said prospective members could contact the society by phoning 52615461 or emailing geelongphilatelicsociety@gmail.com.
