peter
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Posts: 315
What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Nov 29, 2022 0:08:05 GMT
In this thread, I would like to take you on a journey through Australian slogan cancels, through a series of themed explorations.
Let's start with a look at Australia's telephone-themed slogan cancellations. The Telegraph Service
Before we begin with telephones, we start with its predecessor, the telegraph service. The first telegraph line in Australia had been laid between the city of Melbourne and neighbouring Williamstown in 1854, and this was commemorated in 1954 with the slogan cancel, 100 YEARS OF TELEGRAPH SERVICE 1854 - 1954. The slogan was used at GPOs in all states, and post offices at Canberra, Newcastle and Launceston. R.C. Occleshaw, author of the two-volume Australian slogan cancellations 1917-1988, notes that the slogan was introduced in April and withdrawn by the end of September 1954, although he does record an early usage from Hobart (March 11). Paid Melbourne “100 Years of Telegraph Service 1854 - 1954”, 13 May 1954 In 1858, the first intercolonial lines were activated between the colonies of Victoria and South Australia, and then between Victoria and New South Wales. Then, on August 22, 1872 the construction of the 3,200 km (2,000 mi) Overland Telegraph Line connecting Darwin with Port Augusta in South Australia was completed. Described as 'the greatest engineering feat carried out in nineteenth century Australia' it was, within months, linked to the Java-to-Darwin submarine telegraph cable, reducing communication time with Europe from months to mere hours. On August 22, 1972 Australia issued a commemorative stamp recognizing the centenary of the Overland Telegraph Line, and this was accompanied by the slogan cancel, OVERLAND TELEGRAPH LINE CENTENARY 1872 - 1972. This slogan cancel was introduced on August 21, 1972 at GPOs in all states, and post offices at Canberra, Newcastle and Launceston, where usage was limited to a period of only two weeks. However, in the Northern Territory and South Australia, the terminal ends of the old Overland Telegraph Line, the slogan was used intermittently over a wider time period from early May to September. Adelaide “Overland Telegraph Line Centenary 1872 - 1972”, 28 August 1972
Shortly after the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line in 1872, and between Western Australia and South Australia in 1877, the first privately owned telephone system in Australia was installed in 1879 to connect the Melbourne and South Melbourne offices of Robison Brothers & Company. The first public telephone exchange was in place in Melbourne the following year, and the first coin-operated public phones c.1890. However, at this nascent stage in the system’s development there was still no national telephone network with the Postmaster-General for each of Australia’s colonies responsible only for their individual networks. In 1901, the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia agreed to unite and form the Commonwealth of Australia. With Federation came a federal Constitution, and with that the Commonwealth Government of Australia was given power over postal, telegraphic, telephonic, and 'all other' communications services. The first federal Postmaster-General (PMG) thus became responsible for managing all domestic telephone, telegraph and postal services across Australia. When the department was founded there were around 33,000 phones across Australia, with 7,502 telephone subscribers in inner Sydney and 4,800 in Melbourne’s central business district. A trunk line between Melbourne (the headquarters of the PMG Department) and Sydney was in place by 1907, with extensions to Adelaide in 1914, Brisbane in 1923, Perth in 1930 and Hobart in 1935. ( Source) It was during this period of expansion in the system to all corners of the island continent that the PMG introduced Australia’s first telephone slogan cancels. Australia’s Telephone Slogan Cancels
Say it by Telephone
Australia’s first telephone slogan cancel, SAY IT BY TELEPHONE, was introduced January 10, 1927. Although generally withdrawn by 1938, some occasional late usage has been recorded, such as in Mildura in 1948. The examples illustrated below show a variety of styles dating from 1928 to a late usage example from Mildura, 1947. Adelaide "Say it by Telephone", PAID, 7 May 1928. Krag continuous impression machine.
Adelaide "Say it by Telephone", 31 Oct 1933
Melbourne "Say it by Telephone", 20 May 1937
Melbourne "Say it by Telephone", PAID, 11 Aug 1939
Mildura "Say it by Telephone", 3 Nov 1947. Cancelled on a Krag continuous impression machine.
Note the inverted outer circle on the second postmark; the date is correctly orientated. "Say it by Telephone" was the same slogan that had been used in Britain immediately prior to its introduction in Australia. The British postal system had used the slogan from September 1926 to January 1927, before regrouping to launch a major campaign to promote the usage and home installation of telephones between 1931 and 1934. Ten novel and imaginative slogans were chosen as listed in "Volume 1 – Collecting Slogan Postmarks (1917-1969)" by the British Postmark Society: - Every Home Needs a Phone
- Get the Telephone Habit
- It's Quicker to Telephone
- Shop by Telephone
- The Best Investment a Telephone
- The Telephone Makes Life Easier
- The Telephone a Sound Investment
- The Telephone Saves Time & Money
- Trade Follows the Phone
- You are Wanted on the Phone
From "Volume 1 – Collecting Slogan Postmarks (1917-1969)", British Postmark Society Unfortunately, the novelty of some of these slogans proved problematic. In particular, the framing around the slogan "The best investment a telephone" (shown as Type 39 in the illustration above) resulted in a public backlash, when the ornate framing in front of the “a” resulted in people reading it as "The best investment la telephone". Complaints flooded in about the use of French in English slogans! The slogan was subsequently altered to remove the ornate framing (Type 39A illustrated). There is even a story, that may or may not be true, about the slogan “You are wanted on the phone". The story goes that one elderly lady read the slogan as a personal message from the post office and walked immediately to her local office only to find that there was no call to take. Install a Telephone
Perhaps due to Australia’s relatively small and sparsely distributed population, the Australian PMG department never instituted a campaign on the same scale as it's British counterparts. And, in the efforts it did make, was unable to match their imagination, introducing the singularly dull but straight-to-the-point INSTALL A TELEPHONE slogan in 1932. Used nationally, except in Western Australia, there were actually two variations of this slogan: one used a single L in the word INSTAL, whereas the other used a double L (INSTALL). Main POs were supplied with both varieties, as demonstrated in these slogans from Melbourne GPO. Melbourne "Instal a Telephone", 6 May 1938
Paid Melbourne "Install a Telephone", 4 Aug 1939
Smaller post offices, which were generally allocated only a single die, used either the single or double L variety. For example, the following regional post offices, amongst others, used the double L variety: Bendigo and Maryborough. Maryborough "Install a Telephone", 7 Oct 1938
Bendigo "Install a Telephone", 20 Jun 1939 Install a Handset TelephoneIn 1938, holding nothing back in their creativity, the PMG Department issued a new slogan to promote the new and compact “handset” phones, with INSTALL A HANDSET TELEPHONE. This was used concurrently with the previous slogan, until they were both withdrawn in late 1941. There was no single L variety, as in the previous slogan. The post office had seemingly settled on a spelling which, surprisingly for a country in which its citizens were proudly referred to as "British Subjects" (until 1984), had moved away from the accepted British spelling of the word to align with the US spelling. Melbourne "Install a Handset Telephone", PAID, 31 Jan 1940
Melbourne "Install a Handset Telephone", 5 Feb 1940
Geelong "Install a Handset Telephone", 25 Jan 1941 The following article from the May 30, 1937 edition of The Truth, shows the post office's enthusiasm for the new and compact handsets. The Truth (30 May 1937)
Essentially, this was as far as the PMG went to promote telephone usage and ownership through its national slogan programme. However, as the telephone became more widely adopted at home and in public spaces, the message of the slogans shifted their focus in response to the consequent change in the needs and priorities of the post office and the nation. Telephone and Save Petrol
After the second world war was declared in September 1939, Australia set out on the path to introduce rationing. Included in this was petrol rationing which, after numerous delays due to public and political opposition, was finally passed into law in October 1940. To help promote the new law, the PMG authorised the postal slogan TELEPHONE AND SAVE PETROL. While generally phased out by February 1942, the slogan continued to see some isolated usage. Occleshaw notes an example usage at Mount Gambier in 1973. Melbourne "Telephone and Save Petrol", PAID, 13 Nov 1940
Melbourne "Telephone and Save Petrol", 4 Sep 1941 Take Care of Public TelephonesFinally, in 1957, the last postal slogan to focus on the telephone was unveiled, imploring the populous to TAKE CARE OF PUBLIC TELEPHONES. Issued to GPOs in all states, and to Canberra, Launceston and Newcastle post offices, the slogan saw annual usage on the national slogan programme until mid-1975. G.P.O. Adelaide "Take Care of Public Telephones", PAID, 7 Dec 1959
Hobart "Take Care of Public Telephones", 29 Feb 1960
Melbourne "Take Care of Public Telephones", PAID, 2 Feb 1961
The problem of vandalism of public telephones was not new. The following appeal from the post office to the public in stemming the damage being done appeared ten years earlier in the December 12, 1947 edition of The St George Call. Clearly, by 1957, the post office had decided enough was enough! The End |
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peter
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Posts: 315
What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Dec 3, 2022 5:15:58 GMT
Road Safety The Australian Post Office has had a long history of cancelling the mail using slogans promoting safety, and many of these have been aimed at the motorist. In this post we will look at the history behind one of these slogans: Let Courtesy Reign on the Queen's Highway. However, to begin, here is an overview of the motor safety slogans, in chronological order, used between 1949 and 1971. The slogans begin with an emphasis on good driving habits, mainly through careful and "sane" driving, and through showing "courtesy" to all road users. However, the road toll continued to rise despite all these initiatives. With the introduction of seat belts, which would have the biggest impact on reducing road fatalities, the focus of the slogans shifted to encourage the use of seat belts leading up to them becoming compulsory across Australia in 1971. Road Carelessness Kills
Sponsored by the Australian Road Safety Council (Department of Shipping and Transport), the “Road Carelessness Kills” slogan was introduced in January 1949 to General Post Offices (GPOs) in all states and at Launceston post office. During road safety week, it was also used at various other post offices. Used intermittently with other safety slogans and generally withdrawn by the late 1950s. Sane Driving Safe Arriving
The slogan “Sane Driving Safe Arriving” was introduced on January 24, 1949 and used at GPOs in all states and at Launceston post office. Prior to its withdrawal in the mid-1950s it was used intermittently with other road safety slogans. As with many slogans, some post offices continued to use, or later reused, this slogan after it was officially withdrawn. 
Road Courtesy is Catching
Introduced on June 28, 1954 the “Road Courtesy is Catching” slogan was an initiative by the Junior Chamber of Commerce for Road Safety Week. It was used at most main post offices across Australia. The last known usage is October 1964 (ten years seems to have been the useful life period of a frequently used die).
Let Courtesy Reign on the Queen's HighwayIntroduced in mid 1954, this slogan will be the main subject of this post.
The Australian Road Safety Council Recommends Safety Belts
Many of the national road safety slogans were sponsored by the Australian Road Safety Council. This relatively short-lived slogan, recommending the usage of safety belts, is the only slogan to refer to the Council by name. It was used at the Sydney GPO and post offices at Newcastle and Canberra, in the period August 12-18, 1963. Smart People Wear Seat Belts
When the previous slogan "The Australian Road Safety Council Recommends Safety Belts" was introduced, seat belts in Australia were not yet compulsory. However, the push was on to promote their usage, and the "Smart People Wear Seat Belts" slogan continued that message; used nationally from March to May 1965. R.C. Occleshaw, in his two-volume "Australian slogan cancellations 1917-1988" notes some late usages of this slogan, including Adelaide (South Australia) in March and October 1971, Merredin (Western Australia) in December 1981 to February 1982, and Lutwyche (Queensland) in April, July and October 1983. The following examples illustrate some of these late usages, both outside of the dates given by Occleshaw, showing that there is still more to find to complete the whole picture.
Still Not Using Seat Belts? What’s Holding You Back?
According to the paper Reduction in road fatalities and injuries after legislation for compulsory wearing of seat belts: experience in Victoria and the rest of Australia (1979), by F.T. McDermott and D.E. Hough, Yet, despite the change in the law, changing the ingrained habits of motorists was going to take time. In the same article cited above, the authors note that even by 1977 the use of seat belts was not yet fully accepted, but had increased to 90%. Using a clever play on words the last of our slogans was used at GPOs nationally in the weeks commencing March 22, and April 5, 1971; although some post offices used it outside of these periods as there were insufficient dies provided for post offices to run the scheduled RAAF Jubilee slogan in all machines in the same period. The following examples illustrate another dimension of collecting these slogans - to determine which machines they were used in. These chronologically ordered examples show that in Melbourne, they were used in Machines 3, 5, 10 and 15:
Let Courtesy Reign on the Queen's HighwayOur focus in this post is the history behind the slogan "Let Courtesy Reign on the Queen's Highway", chosen by the Australian Road Safety Council as its national road safety slogan in mid-1953, and introduced as a postal slogan in July 1954. Before its introduction, the Australian Road Safety Council's slogan had been the rather blunt and laconic "Death is so Permanent". The slogan had been introduced in 1947, although it had been suspended briefly during the Korean War, and used in spite of the protestations of some members of the church who criticized the slogan for being a negation of the belief in life after death. The "Death is so Permanent" slogan was not unique to Australia. In fact, it looks to have originated in the United States. In 1925, the Uralla Times of June 1, 1925 reported, Also published in 1925 (November 11), in the "English Section" of the Italian newspaper La Sentinella, from Bridgeport, Connecticut, America, is the following list of highway safety slogans used by the State Highway Department of Ohio, including "Death is so Permanent". - Don't try to scare locomotives with your horn.
- A road hog roots up macadam with his nose.
- Our roads are wide and smooth, don't burn them up.
- Death is so permanent - take a minute or two at those dangerous railroad crossings.
- Tragedy in seven words: Speed increases, Breath ceases, Rest in pieces.
- Horse sense as well as horsepower should enter into the operation of motor vehicles.
- Live to ride another day by obeying all warning signs.
- Believe in highway warning signs - they mean what they say.
- Drive with care - you may meet a fool.
- A reckless driver is a criminal.
- Keep your hands on the wheel - let your girl hug herself.
- The three "H's" "Hooch - Hugging - Haste" cause 75 per cent of the motor accidents.
Back in Australia, the Williamstown Chronicle of March 11, 1939 noted, After the Second World War, the slogan found its way with the allied forces into the occupied territories of Germany. The following photograph appeared in The West Australian on July 19, 1946. In the same year, the following syndicated report from Frankfort, Germany, was carried in newspapers across Australia. A good selection of images of these signs is available on the Paratrooper Research Team website, at ETO Allied Unit Signs during WWII. In Australia, before its adoption by the Road Safety Council in 1947, the use of the "Death is so Permanent" slogan had been used sporadically by state road authorities, and in one case, illustrated below, in advertising the services of a motor vehicle repairs garage in 1934 ( The Beaudesert Times, 17 Aug 1934). After becoming the council's official slogan, it was used for the annual Christmas road safety campaign, as illustrated below in the "One for the Road" advertisement used in newspapers from mid-December 1947. Following the Christmas campaign, the Road Safety Council changed its focus from the effects of that extra cup of "Xmas cheer" on the motorist’s reflexes, to the road-worthiness of vehicles in the "Broken Doll" advertisements that started appearing in newspapers from around January 21, 1948. Left: Christmas campaign advertisement (The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Dec 1947); Right: “Broken Doll” advertisement (The Australian Worker, 21 Jan 1948) With the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in the United Kingdom, and the upcoming royal visit in 1954, the first by a reigning British monarch to Australia, the Road Safety Council decided to adopt a new slogan that would tie into this nationally significant event - also celebrated with a postal slogan of its own. The "Australia Celebrates 1954 Royal Visit" postal slogan was introduced February 3, 1954, and used at all state GPOs as well as POs in Canberra, Launceston and Newcastle, until withdrawn by the end of March 1954. Thus the slogan "Let Courtesy Reign on the Queen's Highway" was born. If readers of Melbourne’s The Age, had not seen the postal slogans already, they learnt about it on July 28, 1953. As well as being a fun play on words, the new slogan provided the council with a fresh approach to promoting road safety. Rather than focusing on the tragic consequences of traffic accidents, the new slogan allowed the Council to appeal to the public’s sense of patriotism, placing the onus on all who used the road, not just motorists. The following advertisement, printed in the Brisbane Telegraph of March 11, 1954 emphasizes this messaging (transcription also shown). Shortly after the new slogan was announced, it began to appear in advertisements alongside the old slogan (as shown in the advertisement below from the Brisbane Telegraph, 24 Aug 1953). The old slogan would be retired in the new year.The slogan was also adopted for Christmas road safety campaigns, as illustrated in the image below from the city of Lismore, in northeastern New South Wales, showing a banner hung over Molesworth Street ( Northern Star, 24 Dec 1953) Beyond the Christmas campaign, the message was also being delivered through constant repetition in the press and on radio. Banks, insurance agencies and other organizations were also helping to spread the message by displaying distinctive blue posters emblazoned with the slogan and a bright yellow crown. In theatres, slides such as the example pictured below, were also used to promote the campaign during the pre-movie advertising. Theatre advertising slide shown at the Capitol Theatre Coolangatta and Empire Theatre Tweed Heads (Tweed Museum) In interviews regarding the Australian Road Safety Council’s goals for 1954, the Council’s chairman Mr. T.G. Paterson explained that the aim was to "save a life a day in 1954", and thereby reduce the road toll from the previous year (1,856 deaths) by 365 deaths. The following article outlining the campaign's goals was published in The Advertiser on January 1, 1954. Unfortunately, while reducing the road toll by 365 deaths might not seem to be an overly ambitious goal, it was ultimately unsuccessful. Instead, rather than decreasing by the targeted 1 death per day, it rose actually by 10 deaths per month to reach a total of 1,976 deaths for the year. It increased again in each of the following two years (1955: 2,042; 1956: 2,119). Meanwhile, the "Let Courtesy Reign on the Queen's Highway" postal slogan continued to be used alongside the other road safety slogans until the dies began to reach the end of their useful lives, and were gradually phased out through 1963 into 1964. They were not replaced. Occleshaw notes that the earliest date seen for this slogan was July 19, 1954. This also corresponds to the date of one example from my collection. However, I also have examples from Machine 2 at Hobart GPO dated July 16, 1954; and two PAID imprints dated one month earlier on June 15, 1954 at Melbourne GPO; examples shown below.
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,604
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
Member is Online
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Post by JeffS on Dec 3, 2022 9:02:20 GMT
peter thank you for preparing these articles about Australian slogan cancels. They are both interesting and informative as you included both philatelic and social background information. Jeff
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peter
Member
Posts: 315
What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Dec 14, 2022 7:12:21 GMT
Autumn Festivals 1963
The following Australian short-term slogans take us on a journey through the festivals of regional New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (Vic) in 1963. Join me for a hypothetical road trip... Yass Centenary Show
Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, 1963
We'll start our tour in Yass, a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 279 km (173 mi) southwest of Sydney. Here the Yass Centenary Show has been held annually since March 1863; the same year that one of Australia’s most prolific bushrangers, Ben Hall, and his gang, were operating in the district. Although Ben Hall might have died a few years later in 1865, the Yass Show has carried on. Moss Vale District Show
Thursday, March 7 to Saturday, March 9, 1963
After an eventful two days in Yass, we drive to the next stop on our tour, Moss Vale, for the Moss Vale District Show. The Moss Vale show traces its history back to 1884, when the Berrima District Agricultural, Horticultural and Industrial Society held its first annual show on land made available to them in Moss Vale by the Throsby family, one of the earliest pioneering families of the district. Bathurst Carillon City Festival
Friday, March 8 to Sunday, March 17, 1963
Luckily, it's only a short hop from Moss Vale to the oldest inland settlement in Australia, Bathurst, to attend the Bathurst Carillon City Festival. Since 1955, the Bathurst's Carillon City Festival Art Prize had been attracting some of Australia's finest artists and judges, and in 1963 the award goes to The Silent Pool by Garrett Kingsley (1915-1981). Bendigo Golden Thousand
Sunday, March 10, 1963
It’s a bit of a drive to our next destination, which takes us across the border from New South Wales into Victoria for the Bendigo Golden Thousand, where on Sunday, March 10, 1963, we witness 23-year old Portland High School teacher Harold Downes, become the first professional athlete in the world to break the four minute mile, in 3m 59.7s. Horsham W.O.W. Week
Saturday, March 9 through Monday, March 11, 1963 (Labour Day Weekend)
Since we are in the general area, it’s only a few hours drive to Horsham for the Horsham W.O.W. Week, which begins on the Labour Day weekend. The "W.O.W." in “Horsham W.O.W. Week” stands for "Wheat, Oats and Wool" in celebration of the region's lifeblood. While here, we get to see Donald Campbell's jet-engined hydroplane Bluebird K7 and gas turbine-powered Bluebird CN7 displayed at the showgrounds. These vehicles are being displayed extensively around Australia during Campbell's prolonged attempt on the land speed record of 1963-64. Armidale Festival
Sunday, March 24 to Saturday, March 30, 1963
The next festival is in Armidale, back in northern NSW, approximately halfway between Sydney and Brisbane. It’s a massive 1,300 km road trip, but fortunately we have a couple of weeks to get there. Fortunately, it turns out that this was an auspicious year to visit the Armidale Festival, as the winning painting from the Armidale Festival art competition is donated to the city to commence its art collection, and the Armidale Drama & Musical Society (ADMS), founded in 1922, is reformed after having been disbanded on the outbreak of the second world war. Their first production, "The White Horse Inn", plays at the Armidale Town Hall. Wangaratta Wool Festival
Saturday, March 30 to Monday, April 8, 1963
Despite the distance, we now head back south to Victoria for the Wangaratta Wool Festival, which, despite the date on the slogan cancel, actually opens on March 30, 1963. The festival is attended and opened by the Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, and his wife Dame Pattie. The Prime Minister had just a few days previously been in Sydney to farewell Queen Elizabeth II at the conclusion of her month-long tour of the country. Wangaratta is one of 31 towns around Australia taking part in a competition run by the Australian Wool Bureau, vying for the £500 cash prize, so getting the Prime Minister to attend can’t hurt its chances! Royal Easter Show
Friday, April 5 to Tuesday, April 16, 1963
After so long in rural Australia, its a shock to be back in a big city like Sydney, but the country has followed us for the annual Royal Easter Show which showcases the best of Australia’s rural produce and livestock. This year, the event is part of the official 175th Anniversary of Australia celebrations, and is being held at Moore Park; its home since 1869. Motor Races Mount Panorama
Easter Week
Next, we head back to Bathurst, 203 km (126 mi) west of Sydney, but moving our focus to the nearby racing circuit at Mount Panorama for the 1963 annual Easter Motor Races, which consists of the Bathurst T.T. for motorcycles on the Easter Saturday, and the Bathurst 100 mile event for sports cars on the Easter Monday. However, with two festivals being held this Easter weekend, we only stay for the Bathurst T.T. before heading north to our next destination. Carnival of the Pines
Easter Week
From Bathurst, it’s a pleasant drive up the NSW coast to the town of Port Macquarie, which is celebrating its ninth annual Carnival of the Pines; and as for each of the previous eight carnivals, the event is blessed with perfect weather. In fact, the carnival seems blessed with each passing year as the parades became bigger and better. This year, the emphasis of the float procession, held on Easter Monday, April 15, is the early history of Australia, celebrating Australia's 175th anniversary. A trophy to the value of £10/10/- for the best historical float, is awarded to the Hastings Historical Society. Appropriate! Bellinger Centenary Celebrations
Wednesday, April 24 to Tuesday, April 30, 1963
From Port Macquarie it’s a short drive to the town of Bellingen for the Bellinger Centenary Celebrations. The “centenary” represents the opening of the Bellinger Valley for settlement with the passing of the “Robertson Land (Settlement) Act” of 1863, making holdings of up to 320 acres available on a conditional lease basis for a few shillings a year. Albury Trade Fair and Motor Exhibition
Wednesday, May 1 to Saturday, May 4, 1963
Our tour takes us next to the New South Wales-Victorian border, in Albury, for the Albury Trade Fair and Motor Exhibition. The event began in 1961-62 by the local rotary clubs, but motor shows are nothing new to the town. In fact, annual motor shows had commenced in 1928, when in June of that year one of the largest motor shows held in Australia outside of the capital cities was opened in Younghusband's new wool showrooms, with 70-80 cars being exhibited. See you for the Spring Tour! |
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peter
Member
Posts: 315
What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Feb 6, 2023 1:35:24 GMT
Spring Festivals 1963 After a winter hiatus following our hypothetical Autumn festival tour of rural NSW and Victoria, we are back to explore the Spring festive events that are commemorated with slogan cancels. If you have not read Part 1, you can do so in the previous post on this thread. So, here we go…. ROAD TRIP! Visit Bathurst for Cobb & Co. Coach Run
Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25, 1963
It’s great to be back in Bathurst. We were here in March for the Bathurst Carillon City Festival and again on the Easter weekend for the Mount Panorama motor races. On this visit we will be celebrating the stopover of the Cobb & Co. Coach in Bathurst on its 3,000 km Centenary Coach Run from Port Douglas in Far North Queensland to Melbourne, Victoria. It's quite a trip, and the longest coach run in history. This stop is also special, because it’s a coming home for the coach, as Bathurst has been the headquarters of Cobb & Co. for 100 years. In the 1860s, the company moved 10 coaches here from Bendigo after the development of the railway system in Victoria had cut deeply into its business model. The discovery of gold in the vicinity of Bathurst was no doubt a determining factor in this decision as well, promising a reversal in its fortunes (until its ultimate demise in 1929). Newcastle Mattara
Friday, September 6 to Sunday, September 15, 1963
Next, Newcastle, the location of the largest coal exporting harbour in the world; but rather than drive through Sydney, we take the Hunter Valley route and spend some time exploring the beautiful Goulburn River National Park. We’re in Newcastle for the annual Mattara festival, which began just a few years ago in 1961. The name Mattara comes from the language of the Awabakal people, upon who's traditional lands we stand. Mattara means ‘hand of friendship’, and was chosen to symbolise (pictorially on Newcastle’s Mattara slogan cancel) the hand of friendship that the city extends to its visitors and to industry. Kempsey Festival of Spring
Week ending Monday, October 7, 1963
What better way to celebrate Spring than a scenic drive up the NSW coastline to take in a week of festivities at the Kempsey Festival of Spring, ending on Monday, October 7; a national public holiday known as the "6 Hour Day". One of the founders of this festival is William "Bill" Flanigan (b.1894). On the outbreak of the Great War, he was employed on the postal staff at Lismore. He enlisted in June 1915 and was assigned to the Australian Army Postal Corps. After returning from France, with relics from the Red Barron's aircraft (a belt buckle from the pilot’s harness, part of the aircraft’s wing and a piece of red fabric), he became a prominent Kempsey citizen, serving Kempsey Municipal Council as an alderman for nine years and helped found the Kempsey Festival of Spring in 1955. Visit Goulburn Lilac Time
Friday, October 4 to Sunday, October 13, 1963
As much as I’d love to spend the full week in Kempsey, I do not want to miss Lilac Time in Goulburn; and guess what? Remember our old friend, the Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, who opened the Wangaratta Wool Festival back in March? He’s festival hopping too! He's here to open Lilac Time at a ceremony in Belmore Park. After which, its over to the city's Odeon Theatre to see the Australasia premiere of "Come Blow Your Horn", an American comedy film starring Frank Sinatra. This is followed by a ball in the theatre's foyer. With a week-long festival programme, there is no rest for the wicked as we enjoy a canoe race down the Wollondilly River, an athletics carnival, and of course, the staple of all country fairs… the Festival Queen contest. Visit Bowral During Tulip Time
Saturday, October 5 to Sunday, October 13, 1963
Coinciding with Goulburn’s Lilac Time is Bowral’s Tulip Time. Luckily for us though, these two centers of flowery fun are only an hour’s drive apart. So sneaking away from Goulburn, we tip-toe (figuratively speaking) over to Bowral to enjoy this relatively recent newcomer to the festive calendar. The first Tulip Festival started in 1961, but the city is going about this as if its the oldest floral festival in Australia, which perhaps it is - Corbett Gardens, the showpiece of the Tulip Time Festival, dates back to 1911. North Coast National Exhibition
Wednesday, October 16 to Saturday, October 19, 1963
If we are going to make Lismore’s North Coast National Exhibition, we better put the pedal to the metal, because this city in northeastern New South Wales, is 734 km (456 mi) north of Sydney! The Lismore Show, as the North Coast National Exhibition is also known, traces its history back to 1885 when the populous of Lismore amounted to a mere 1400. It was started by the North Coast National Agricultural and Industrial Society Inc., hence the name, to bring the early settlers together to share their knowledge about farming and show the world their achievements. That’s worth supporting! Floral Week in Inverell
Last week October
If you thought the 1963 flower power festivals were over, think again - it’s Spring, man! From Lismore, we head inland to Inverell, situated on the Macintyre River, close to the Queensland border, for Floral Week. One of the major Floral Week events is the window display competition, and the local Holden dealer, F. Gaukrogers and Sons, has pulled out all the stops. Proprietor Garn Gaukroger and four of his team, have lugged 2.5 tons of river stones and hundreds of shrubs and flowers to their showroom, creating a large rockery and colourful garden with paths of white crushed rock around the car. The judges agree it's a show stopper, and score them a 94.5 out of a possible 100 points, crowning then the winners for 1963. Paramatta Pageant Foundation Week
Saturday, October 26 to Saturday, November 2, 1963
To see out October and welcome in November, we turn our attention south to Paramatta, a suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, for their inaugural Paramatta Pageant. Until this event, the foundation of Parramatta on November 2, 1788, had been celebrated with community organised festivities, events and functions. For 1963 however, to coincide with the 175th anniversary of Parramatta's foundation, an organising committee had developed the "Parramatta Pageant" (which soon became known as "Foundation Week") to develop a formal one-week series of celebratory events. Tamworth Festival of Light
Saturday, November 2 to Saturday, November 9, 1963
From Parramatta, we head north once again for Tamworth, the "First Town of Lights". Tamworth was the first municipality in Australia, and the Southern Hemisphere, to use electricity to light it's streets. In total, 52 street lights, over 21 km, illuminated the streets of Tamworth for the first time on November 9, 1888. Melbourne didn't get its first electric street lights until 1894, while Sydney had to wait until 1904. The first Tamworth Festival of Light was held in April, 1958 and commenced as a means of drawing tourism to this sleepy country town. Glen Innes Rose Festival
Mid-November
From Tamworth its a little over 200 km to our next stop, Glen Innes (not to be confused with the popular author Hammond Innes, whose recent novel Atlantic Fury (1962) was a great read, although not as good as my personal favorite, The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1956), but I digress). It’s time to catch the last of the floral festivals; in fact, the last of our 1963 festivals, with the Hammond Glen Innes Rose Festival. It’s a week of fun filled activities, such as the rose garden competition, men’s and lady’s bowls competitions, a stamp exhibition at the council chambers, a float parade, and the crowning event (excuse the pun) - the crowning of the Rose Festival Queen. For the lucky winners of all the various events, a total of 66 rose plants were given as prizes. Fare ye well! By this point I feel that I have truly gotten in touch with my inner man-on-the-land. Here is an excerpt from the Australian Women’s Weekly of April 26, 1961, showing how many events were happening just in the state of NSW in that year alone (I couldn’t find a list for 1963). Of course, many of these did not have dedicated cancel slogans, so were not on our visitation list! Thanks for being a great travel partner. See you down the track. |
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JeffS
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What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Feb 10, 2023 20:56:52 GMT
A slogan cancel style I am not familiar withAVOID THE RISKS / AVOID DRUGS
LEIGHTONFIELD MC 1996
I can't make out the text on the round end of the slogan obscured by the stamp mage.
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Post by jaysee on Feb 12, 2023 12:44:22 GMT
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JeffS
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What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Feb 12, 2023 14:27:02 GMT
That worked perfectly. Thank you! |
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peter
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What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Feb 21, 2023 3:39:52 GMT
That worked perfectly. Thank you! Sorry, I missed this... I'm in full agreement... I believe it reads SOUTH WEST SUB MC |
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JeffS
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What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Sept 23, 2023 2:06:08 GMT
I added considerably to my Australian Slogan collection at the 2023 Houston show. This example, SUBSCRIBE TO THE "DIGGERS" LOAN repeating slogan, sent me to Mr Google to find that a "digger" is a military slang term for primarily infantry soldiers from Australia.
And this cover is my first and only "Roo" stamp slogan cover. 
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JeffS
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What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Sept 24, 2023 23:38:28 GMT
A whole week has passed since coming home from the Houston show, still digging out.
Here are 3 AIR MAIL slogans on covers I found there.
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rod222
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Post by rod222 on Oct 8, 2023 6:36:46 GMT
I added considerably to my Australian Slogan collection at the 2023 Houston show. This example, SUBSCRIBE TO THE "DIGGERS" LOAN repeating slogan, sent me to Mr Google to find that a "digger" is a military slang term for primarily infantry soldiers from Australia.
And this cover is my first and only "Roo" stamp slogan cover.
Nice! Never seen before, never issued (Roller Machine cancel) in Western Australia www.awm.gov.au/collection/C96859 |
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JeffS
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What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Oct 12, 2023 21:07:36 GMT
4 recent additions to my Australian slogan cancel cover collection:
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JeffS
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What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Oct 13, 2023 0:46:09 GMT
Hi rod222, thank you for the information. Do Australian slogan collectors collect primarily by state or territory? jeff |
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rod222
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Post by rod222 on Oct 13, 2023 4:51:15 GMT
Hi rod222 , thank you for the information. Do Australian slogan collectors collect primarily by state or territory? jeff Hi Jeff, You know Jeff, I really don't know, never met another collector, as you and I, in 30 years of collecting, There must be those, "cupboard collectors" poring over a desk and covers somewhere, but like the Aussie Long Nosed Potaroo, they a quiet solitary animals. One of the authors of another monograph of Slogans in Western Australia spoke at our Stamp Club many years ago, and was interesting. So in depth he catalogued the wearing away of a support pin in the slogan image over years of use. I am in awe of collectors who can focus so deeply into such abstruse items. My guess however, would be collect by State, depending on where they live, or their Aussie speciality. I collect whatever passes my desk in swaps etc. |
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JeffS
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What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Oct 14, 2023 18:37:19 GMT
Continuing with the batch of Australian slogan cancel covers I found at Houston in September:
Three HELP REPATRIATION / BUY WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES slogans
ADELAIDE, SYDNEY and MELBOURNE
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peter
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What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Oct 19, 2023 14:06:24 GMT
Hi rod222 , thank you for the information. Do Australian slogan collectors collect primarily by state or territory? jeff Personally, I focus on Australian short-term slogans, irrespective of origin. Those slogans that were used for short periods within a single year or over several years. Collecting on a thematic basis is also popular, but these tend to be part of a larger thematic collection and not solely restricted to slogans. However, yes, by state / territory / town / city are all popular categories amongst slogan collectors, of which there are not that many. From my observations, it seems to have died out somewhat in the late 1960s. |
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peter
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What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Oct 21, 2023 5:34:46 GMT
4 recent additions to my Australian slogan cancel cover collection:
, I see you have a lovely example of the V for Victory Slogan. This was used at all GPOs and Launceston PO, introduced in early August 1941 in Melbourne, and then progressively included the other states. It was withdrawn by mid-November 1941. The slogan was actually part of much larger “V Campaign” that the Australian Post-Master General’s Department participated in during WWII. As well as the slogan, the PMG Department’s contribution included... - 8ft high Neon ‘V’ signs on all General Post Offices
- The printing of ‘V for Victory’ on all telegraph forms and Post Office stationery.
- For Victory posters displayed in Post Offices, and on all departmental vans throughout the Commonwealth; and
- Telephone girls (their wording, not mine) at manual telephone exchanges greeting subscribers with the words “V for Victory; number please!” during non-peak hours.
As for that last one, it didn’t last long! Despite being used in off-peak hours, it still had a massive impact on how many calls the exchange room staff were able to put through within a given period, and the practice was quickly discontinued.
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rod222
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Post by rod222 on Oct 21, 2023 6:10:27 GMT
Dates of usage of the Western Australian V for Victory Morse Code.   |
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peter
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What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Oct 21, 2023 7:18:08 GMT
Thanks rod222... Yes, slogans were withdrawn from December 1941, although some isolated examples extending into February 1942 have been noted. It was felt that mail might not be delivered to POWs if envelopes carried propoganda unacceptable to enemy countries. From January 1946, a limited return to pre-war slogan usage was permitted. |
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peter
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What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Oct 21, 2023 10:43:09 GMT
Continuing with the batch of Australian slogan cancel covers I found at Houston in September:
Three HELP REPATRIATION / BUY WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES slogans
ADELAIDE, SYDNEY and MELBOURNE
, This is a very attractive group demonstrating some of the varieties associated with this slogan. I would be proud to own such a clean set. The HELP REPATRIATION BUY WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES slogan was used at GPOs in all States, and some smaller post offices. It was in troduced April 29, 1919 (Adelaide initially), and officially withdrawn March 10, 1920; although Occleshaw notes, in his catalogue of Australia's short-term slogans, that Sydney continued to use it into the following month. However, I recently secured the following cover dated June 8, 1920, showing it was still being used well beyond that;
By the way, note that the Sydney version of the slogan omitted the "S" in SAVINGS. |
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rod222
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Oct 21, 2023 11:22:48 GMT
Wow! Peter, addressed to Mary Pickford ! That's a saver for sure.
Canada Scott #2153d, 2154b 2006
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hdm1950
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Posts: 1,604
What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Oct 21, 2023 12:12:45 GMT
Wow! Peter, addressed to Mary Pickford ! That's a saver for sure. Canada Scott #2153d, 2154b 2006 Good catch Rod on the Mary Pickford on JeffS slogan cancel. |
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peter
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What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Oct 21, 2023 12:24:20 GMT
Wow! Peter, addressed to Mary Pickford ! That's a saver for sure. Canada Scott #2153d, 2154b 2006 Good catch Rod on the Mary Pickford on JeffS slogan cancel. Yes, not mine. Covers (fan mail) addressed to movie stars in this period are not uncommon, such as my Wayne Morris cover with the V slogan (original fan mail still inside) shown earlier. I have another addressed to Charlie Chaplin. These are sometimes marked as "not collected" at the studio and no doubt spent many years in the movie studios' version of a Dead Letter Office, until they were deemed of sufficient interest to collectors and made their way into the market place. |
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peter
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What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Oct 21, 2023 13:33:41 GMT
Thanks rod222 ... Yes, slogans were withdrawn from December 1941, although some isolated examples extending into February 1942 have been noted. It was felt that mail might not be delivered to POWs if envelopes carried propoganda unacceptable to enemy countries. From January 1946, a limited return to pre-war slogan usage was permitted. The no slogan period (I like how the lines of the obliterator mirror, or carry on, the lines of barbed wire)... |
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hdm1950
Member
Posts: 1,604
What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Oct 21, 2023 15:40:33 GMT
Continuing with the batch of Australian slogan cancel covers I found at Houston in September:
Three HELP REPATRIATION / BUY WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES slogans
ADELAIDE, SYDNEY and MELBOURNE
After the realization that one of these cards was addressed to Mary Pickford I had every intention of taking a picture of her statue during my morning walk with a friend. Once again I have a great memory but it is short. These images I found on line may be a nice go along with the card.   |
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peter
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What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Oct 22, 2023 12:18:46 GMT
Purchased an album of Australian slogan cancels at auction, as much to preserve a remnant of collecting history than anything else. This was how slogans (and postmarks more generally) were collected back in the day -- cut into 2x4-inch pieces, which was the favoured means of collecting.  Unfortunately, this method resulted in important information being lost. Consider the cover pictured below. The stamp has been cancelled in Adelaide on May 19, 1978, using machine 7 with a STAMP CANCELLED AT slogan. Note the cancellation from machine 2 at the base of the cover. From 1977, machine 7 (without a date code) was utilised to cancel mail in which the stamp had been missed in the normal cancelling process. Without the full cover, this context is lost.
A machine had been in use in Sydney for the same purpose since mid-1949; machine 3. The following list from volume one of The Postal History of Sydney by A.E. Orchard & R. Tobin, shows the different way machines at Sydney GPO were allocated... - Numbers 1 & 2: Airmail
- Number 3: Second class mail, then Defence Force mail during WWII, returned to second class mail afterwards. From mid-1949 used on unobliterated mail, mostly without the time being shown,
- Number 4: Country mail, also Overseas during WWII. From 1954, on Paquebot mail.
- Number 5: Mostly used on Out of Course mail.
- Number 6: 1938-9 on Paquebot mail, then Airmail. Post-war on Interstate mail.
- Number 7: Circulars.
- Numbers 8 & 9: Pillar Box mail.
- Number 10: City mail.
- Number 11: Circulars..
- Number 12: Country Mail.
- Number 13: Probably a relief/ emergency machine.
- Number 14: Suburban mail.
- Number 15: Probably a relief/emergency machine.
- Number 16: General work.
- Number 17: Overseas mail, often with bilingual slogans.
- Number 18: Second Class mail.
While it may be possible to guess at the purpose of the original cover from the value of the stamps on a 2x4 cutout, having the entire cover is always best in exploring postal history. |
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peter
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What I collect: Australian Slogan Cancels
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Post by peter on Oct 23, 2023 12:17:10 GMT
Here, I have found the cover whose slogan cancel was used in Occleshaw's Australian slogan cancel catalogue. After the image was Xeroxed, some effort was invested in removing obfuscating writing from the postmark for the catalogue image, although some traces remain. In the case of the slogan, for maximum clarity, the part of the slogan printed over the stamps was masked out, and the missing words added by hand. 
So far, so good. But there is a danger in this system...
Note in our next example the discrepancy between the cover, which reads JULY, and the catalogue entry which reads JUNE. Unlike the example above, my cover was not the one used to create this catalogue entry, but the process described in that previous example makes it clear what has happened. In the masking and reentry of the slogan, a transcription error has occurred and subsequently influenced the entire catalogue entry. Surprisingly, no one raised questions about the inconsistency between the slogan and its usage dates.
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