Alpine leisure sports on new Australian stamps..

 

Date of Issue : 19 July 2011 

Here are three new beautiful stamps on winter sports.Two of Australia's most popular alpine pastimes, skiing and snowboarding, feature in a new stamp issue coinciding with the 150th anniversary of skiing in Australia. The stamp issue comprises one domestic rate stamp (60 cents) and two international rate stamps ($1.60 and $1.65), .Outdoor activities has been beautifully captured in this winter-themed commemorative stamp issue. Skiing and snowboarding are very popular in Australia.

 

Snow skiing had its genesis in Australia 150 years ago, at the Snowy Mountains settlement of Kiandra, New South Wales. A small group of Austrians and a Norwegian, goldminers at the settlement, were behind the activity. The club that developed was called the Kiandra Snow Shoe Club, later renamed the Kiandra Pioneer Ski Club. This is thought to be the first and longest-surviving ski club in the world, established the same year as the first club in Norway, although the claim is not universally supported.

Today, skiing and snowboarding are undertaken in three Australian states: New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Australia's 14 alpine resorts are of varying size and sophistication, the most popular being Perisher, Thredbo, Mt Buller, Hotham and Falls Creek.Victoria is home to a total of eight resorts, some of which offer only cross-county skiing; New South Wales is home to four; and Tasmania to two. Between them, New South Wales and Victoria attract the lion's share of skiers and snowboarders, Tasmania representing around just one per cent of the market.

The three stamps in this issue represent the two most popular alpine leisure sports in Australia, downhill skiing and snowboarding. They focus on recreation rather than competition and represent a range of proficiency, from a tentative learner to advanced slope slayers. The photographs also depict a sense of place, Australia's snowfields being unique for their open vistas and alpine gums.

Maxim Cards

: Australia Post

Club News

Seminar on ‘Modern Trends of Philately’

A  Seminar on ‘Modern Trends of Philately’  has been organized by Philatelic Society of Rajasthan on  31 July 2011 at  St Xavier’s School , Jaipur. It will be inaugurated by Shri Rajeev Singh,Chief Postmaster General , Rajasthan Circle.

Time : Sunday, 31 July 2011 Morning 11.00 o’clock

Venue : Seminar Hall , St Xavier’s School , Bhagwandas Road , Jaipur

Digital Presentations : Virtual Philately by Mr Yogesh Bhatnagar

                                      Philately E-Trade by Dr Rakesh Thapar

- Rajesh Paharia, Jaipur