Stroud and District Philatelic Society (From Stroud News and Journal)

Stroud and District Philatelic Society

1:40pm Monday 2nd November 2009

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Armadillo and Dodo at Local Stamp Club.

THE October 7 meeting of the Stroud and District Philatelic Society turned out to be an unusual one for members when they arrived to show a Few of their Favourite Things. After seeing a display of the Life of Garibaldi by Bob Tungate, Mike Parker's Rhodesian Postage Dues and Alan Webb’s exotic issues from Tahiti, senior member Veronica Woolaghan produced a holiday souvenir in the shape of a real stuffed Armadillo as one of her favourite items. Apparently she also loves badgers.

Members were treated to a riveting display on the Island of Mauritius at the October 21 meeting by Swindon philatelist David Gibbon. Although only the size of Surrey, Mauritius has been a pioneer in postage stamps. The country was the third one in the world after Great Britain to issue stamps in 1847 with its Penny Red and Twopence Blue. Both were wrongly inscribed POST OFFICE instead of POST PAID when the local printer James Barnard of Port Louis forgot the exact words relayed to him verbally. Mauritius also boasts the world's earliest instance of provisional surcharged stamps back in 1854. David showed a vast variety of material, including mail from PO Box 1,000 on the Island. This was a British Government detainment camp in use from 1940 to 1945 for displaced Jews from Nazi Germany. Heading for Palestine by ship, they had been refused entry at Haifa port and were forced to live out the war as virtual prisoners on Mauritius, but that's another story.

Much of the island's economy relied on sugar cane, and there were many small railways which transported the cane harvest from the fields to the sugar mills. Members saw letters and postcards illustrating this part of the island's history. Two early postal issues of stamps bore the heraldic arms of Mauritius. The shield was supported on either side by a Stag and a Dodo, which once roamed the island before its exinction. Surely no other coat of arms has the distinction of an extinct animal as part of its heraldic achievement. This display was warmly received by members as vice-chairman Darren Balchin gave the vote of thanks. The next meeting at St. Joseph’s Hall, Stonehouse will be on November 4 with a Philatelic Workshop. Phone John Loraine for more details on 01453 757178.

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