World Wetlands Day

 

Date of Issue : 2 February 2014

On 2nd February each year  World Wetlands Day is observed. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Each year since 1997, the Ramsar Secretariat has provided materials so that government agencies, non-governmental organizations, conservation organizations, and groups of citizens can help raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands.

 

Each year on 2 February, the Game Bird Habitat Collection is issued by New Zealand Post to celebrate World Wetlands Day. The 2014 issue is the 21st in the series and features the Pūkeko.

One of the most recognisable birds in New Zealand, the Pūkeko (Porphyrio melanotus) is also one of New Zealand’s most beloved birds. Pūkeko populations are abundant across the country, though they’re mostly around wetlands and farmlands. The Pūkeko is affectionately known as a swamp hen, pook, or for some hunters, the blue pheasant.

The distinctive Pūkeko is mostly a deep blue colour, sometimes with purple tones, with a black head and upper parts, white feathers under its tail, and a striking red bill with matching red legs. The Pūkeko is seen by New Zealanders as very cheeky and friendly, though it can be aggressive and territorial. Pūkeko are excellent runners and swimmers, and despite the fact that they’re reluctant to take flight, when pushed, they are strong flyers that can cover long distances.

The Pūkeko nesting season usually runs from August to March, though it is not unusual to see baby chicks hatching in late autumn. Pūkeko are cooperative breeders, meaning that multiple male and female birds often share a nest and divide up the responsibilities of incubation of eggs, and the guarding and feeding of chicks.

World Wetlands Day

2 February each year is World Wetlands Day, This is an international date with a different theme and message on a relevant subject set each year by the Ramsar Secretariat.

    

 

 

 

World Wetlands Day 2014: Wetlands and Agriculture

“ Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth ”

 

The year 2014 has been designated by the United Nations as the International Year of family farming.In recognition of the important interrelationship between farming and wetlands, the theme for World Wetlands Day 2014 is Wetlands and agriculture: partners for growth.

Wetlands have often been seen as a barrier to agriculture, being drained and reclaimed to make more farming land available.

But the essential role of wetlands in providing valuable ecosystem services such as water purification of farm runoff, recycling nutrients, protecting land from flood damage and recharging groundwater aquifers (as well as offering recreation opportunities and supporting a rich diversity of wildlife) is now being acknowledged.

These days, there are successful agricultural practices that support healthy wetlands and World Wetlands Day is a chance to showcase farming families who are clearly demonstrating that protection of wetlands goes hand in hand with production from the land.

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2014 – Year of Horse

 

Date of Issue : 8 January 2014

The Year of the Horse will begin on 31 January 2014, and will bring with it celebrations of the Chinese New Year in New Zealand, China and around the world. New Zealand Post will issue a set of 4 stamps and a Miniature sheet to commemorate Year of the Horse.

The horse is the seventh animal in the Chinese lunar calendar, and is renowned for its loyalty, diligence and free spirit. Those born in the Year of the Horse are thought to be energetic, intelligent and often physically strong, and they like to live in quiet, peaceful environments. In 2014, the Year of the Horse is expected to bring a blend of optimism, growth, fulfillment, prosperity and positive developments.

The 2014 Year of the Horse stamps represent the strong and successful co-existence of the Chinese and New Zealand cultures. The Chinese folk arts of calligraphy, paper-cutting and line art illustration are depicted on the stamps against a background of New Zealand as ‘the land of the long white cloud’.

70c - Pictogram
Many Chinese characters are derived from pictograms, stylised drawings of the objects they represent. Originating in ancient times, these pictograms are among the oldest characters still in use – and a few, including the Chinese horse character, still take their earliest forms.

$1.40 - Paper-cut Horse

In China, paper-cuts are mainly used as home decorations, on everything from walls, windows and doors to mirrors, lamps and lanterns. Chinese people believe that red paper-cuts on the doors of houses can bring good luck and happiness to the families who live there.

$1.90 - Equestrian

New Zealand has earned a global reputation for its horse breeding, horse racing and horse riding. This stamp design uses a line art illustration to depict the elegant sport of show jumping, linking the image of the horse with the Chinese lunar year.

$2.40 - Rotorua Museum

The Rotorua Museum of Art and History is located in a building affectionately known as the Bath House – so called because it was once a geothermal spa offering therapeutic treatments to visitors from all over the world. Opened in 1908, the Bath House was the New Zealand Government’s first major investment in the tourism industry.

Year of Horse stamp from Philippines

Phlippines Post issued a set of stamps and a souvenir sheet celebrating the Year of the Horse 2014. The stamps feature a stylized head of horse and a stylized horse.

Chinese Astrology uses one’s birthday and birth time to predict their fortune. The astrological birth chart is built by the Chinese Astrology Calendar, which is a combination counting system of Yin-Yang, Five Elements and 12 animals. The Five Elements are Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. The twelve animals are Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig. Year of 2014 is Wooden Horse because Wood (tree) is connected to the color Green.

 

Club News

New Special Cover

India Post, Tamil Naidu Postal Circle released a Special Cover on 18 November 2013 on 25 Years of Commissioned service by TU 142M Aircraft .

: Ankit Agarwal – Pune : email : 3dankit@gmail.com

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The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

 

Date of Issue : 1 November 2013

New Zealand Post issued a set of six stamps and 6 Miniature sheets featuring characters from the film “ Hobbit”.

‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company continues East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of giant Spiders in the treacherous Mirkwood Forest.

After escaping capture by the dangerous Woodland Elves, the Dwarves journey to Lake-town, and finally to the Lonely Mountain itself, where they must face the greatest danger of all – a creature more terrifying than any before, which will test not only the depth of their courage but the limits of their friendship and the wisdom of the journey itself – the Dragon Smaug.

This official range of stamps from New Zealand Post features well known characters from the first film, as well as some popular new additions. As well as capturing key scenes from the film, the stamps reflect New Zealand as the home of Middle-earth, and promise to be highly sought-after collectables.

: New Zealand Post

Press Clippings

 

Postcards from Paradise on Earth

By N Kalyani Published: 20th October 2013 12:00 AM Indian Express

Kashmir has a new brand ambassador. Its well-connected and recently modernised postal service, which besides delivering letters and parcels, has also been marketing the state as a land of unparalleled beauty. 

John Samuel outside the floating post office on the Dal Lake

At Delhi’s Dak Bhawan, John Samuel, 57, who recently returned after a two-and-a-half-years stint as Jammu and Kashmir’s chief postmaster general, explains the good the postal department has done for tourism in the picturesque state.

“A post office is more than just stamps and letters,” quips Samuel, who is from Tamil Nadu. “No place in the world matches the beauty of Gulmarg and Pahalgam,” he tells you in a matter-of-fact tone. And the tourist post offices in these predominantly touristy hot spots make good use of nature’s bounty.

“These tourist post offices sell not just postage and postal stationery, including special postal covers and picture postcards, but also Kashmiri saffron, walnuts, apples, handicrafts and coffee table books on Kashmir that can also be parceled to friends and family,” he says. “They also provide information to the tourists,” he adds.

Marketing the local produce and products at post offices helps develop the local economy, Samuel explains. A popular tourist icon in the state is its floating post office on the beautiful Dal Lake, which also has a postal museum.

The process of modernising post offices has been undertaken across the state, says Samuel, and as of now more than 40 of the state’s 1600-plus post offices have been upgraded. “Each modernized post office has the Post Shop facility,” says Samuel. What is the Post Shop? “A one-stop post office facility offering stamps, special covers, first day covers, packaging boxes for parcels, as also services of photocopy and fax. Besides, the ‘My Stamp’ facility is available here as well,” he says.

My Stamp is the personalised stamp facility that was introduced by India Post during Indipex-2011, the World Philatelic Exhibition held in Delhi, under which one can have one’s own picture inserted on part of the stamp and the entire stamp with the regular stamp and denomination can then be used as regular postage.

Samuel has also conducted philatelic exhibitions for the public and in schools with a view to promoting philately among children, an educative and fun hobby that can last a lifetime. October 9 is World Post Day and India observes October 9 to 15 as the Postal Week every year.

The very first state-level philatelic exhibition that was held in September 2011 was after a long hiatus of 32 years, Samuel says. Special postal covers in the last couple of years on themes such as ‘International Day of the Girl Child’ and ‘No Smoking Day’ have served to communicate social messages of import. “The post office can act as a catalyst to bring change in society,” Samuel points out. Sports events such as an athletics meet and a football tournament have also been hosted by the J&K postal circle. These activities are not post office-centric, rather they involve the entire community.

Its stockpile of positive initiatives includes gender parity as well. “An all-women post office has also been opened at Jammu Market,” beams Samuel. The post office was also involved in the ‘Clean Srinagar, Green Srinagar’ initiative working with the municipal corporation.

Samuel’s most memorable special cover has been the one that was released in 2011 at Siachen Glacier, at a height of 20,000 feet. It could perhaps be included in the Guinness World Records, he says, as no special cover has ever been released at such a height. The special postal cover was released jointly by Samuel and Lieutenant General K T Parnaik, the then chief of the Northern Command (now retired). “It was both to encourage our army jawans posted there and to publicise the place,” says Samuel. Clearly, postal activity in this region is set to scale greater heights.

: The Indian Express

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New Christmas stamps…

 

New Zealand Post issued a set five stamps for Christmas 2013. The Christmas 2013 stamps show scenes that are played out in homes .

For many New Zealanders, Christmas Day signals the beginning of a long-anticipated summer holiday. It’s a time to celebrate with friends and family and enjoy some good-old Kiwi sunshine. The Christmas 2013 stamp issue by New Zealand reflects a classic Kiwi Christmas, including sunshine, Christmas lunch and cricket on the beach! The five square-shaped gummed stamps in this festive issue are a vibrant reflection of Christmas in Aotearoa, and are sure to brighten up the Christmas mail.“Singing Christmas carols, opening the prezzies, noshing into a big feed, a leisurely game of cricket on the beach, hanging tinsel on the tree... those are the experiences that most kids  will remember about Christmas in New Zealand.

The five stamps in the Christmas 2013 issue are:

• 70c Gift Giving
• $1.40 Christmas lunch
• $1.90 Decorating the tree
• $2.40 Cricket on the beach
• $2.90 Carol singing

70c Gift giving: the giving of gifts is a longstanding Christmas tradition, both in New Zealand and around the world. For children, the opening of presents from “Santa” and family is by far the most exciting part of Christmas Day, and watching the children’s faces as presents are unwrapped is often just as much fun.

$1.40 Christmas lunch: although Christmas falls in summertime in New Zealand, many Kiwi families still indulge in hot meals. Whether it’s the Northern Hemisphere tradition of “turkey with all the trimmings” or a few sausages on the barbeque, New Zealanders are sure to over-eat on Christmas Day.

$1.90 Decorating the tree: once the tree has been decorated (whether it’s pine or artificial) the feeling of Christmas really starts to set in. As well as traditional ornaments, New Zealand Christmas trees are often adorned with “Kiwi” decorations such as jandals, kiwis and pukeko.

$2.40 Cricket on the beach: if the sun is shining, Christmas Day in New Zealand is often spent outside. Christmas lunch is regularly followed by a game of cricket on the beach or lawn, a swim in the sea, or perhaps a snooze in a deckchair for those less energetic !

$2.90 Carol singing: Christmas carols have been part of the festive season. In the lead-up to Christmas in New Zealand, numerous Christmas shows and concerts take place around the country, at which both traditional and “Kiwi” Christmas songs are sung.

As well as the gummed stamps, three self-adhesive stamps are available in denominations of 70c, $1.90 and $2.40.Two First Day Covers are also available – one with the gummed stamps, the other with the self-adhesive ones. The former features a traditional pine Christmas tree, while the latter shows the New Zealand Christmas tree - a pōhutukawa.

: New Zealand Post

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Pets and Children’s Health

 

Date of Issue : 4 September 2013

Here are new stamps from New Zealand featuring pets and children. For many children growing up in the country, pets become important members of the family, and cherished friends. Children learn valuable life skills such as responsibility, empathy and self confidence by caring for their pets, which rely on them for food, shelter and unconditional love.

Similar life lessons are instilled in New Zealand children through the seven Children’s Health Camps throughout the country. On 18 April 2013, Te Puna Whaiora Children’s Health Camps launched its new name, Stand Children’s Services, Tu Maia Whanau. Stand Children’s Services aims to nurture the dreams and aspirations of our nation’s children, allowing them to find their turangawaewae, their ‘place to stand’.

New Zealand Post is continuing to support Children’s Health Camps under its new name. The 10-cent surcharge on each stamp in this issue will go directly to Stand Children’s Services, and will help to ensure that vulnerable New Zealand children receive the attention and care they deserve.

The three stamps in this special issue illustrate a rural New Zealand childhood, and the special role that pets play in growing up in the country.

70c +10c – Lamb

This 70c gummed stamp depicts a young boy in his gumboots preparing milk to feed his pet lamb. Just as children need special care as they grow up, so do our pets, and the skills children learn looking after young animals are valuable later in life.

$1.40 + 10c – Piglet

This $1.40 gummed stamp portrays a young girl reading a story to her pet piglet and stuffed toy dragon. The endearing scene reflects the love that children feel for their pets, and the important role that pets play in the lives of children growing up in the country.

70c + 10c – Goat (self-adhesive)

This 70c self-adhesive stamp depicts a young boy alongside his cheeky pet goat that he has taken to school for ‘Pet Day’ - a popular event at which country kids share their goats, lambs, calves and other animals with their classmates. This self-adhesive stamp is also available in a sheet of 100 – perfect for your postage needs.

Source : New Zealand Post

Press Clipping

e-MO replaces manual money order

- Hindustan Times : 4 September 2013

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Wrestling World Championship

 

Date of Issue : 2 August 2013

Magyar Posta has issued a commemorative stamp to mark the World Wrestling Championships to be held at the Papp László Sports Arena in Budapest between 16 and 22 September 2013.

The silhouette of two wrestlers is in the middle of the stamp design, while the outlines of some of the sights of the city hosting the world championships, Budapest, are in the background.

At the ancient Olympics there were three forms of this sport: wrestling itself, pankration and it was one of the five disciplines of the pentathlon. A standard set of rules evolved in the second half of the 19^th century and competitive wrestling as we know it today began. It was one of the sports at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. The International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) was founded in 1912 and today has 180 member countries.Wrestling is a combat sport that does not allow the use of weapons, kicking or hitting.

Royal Baby

Date of Issue : 11 September 2013

New Zealand Post will issue a s set of four stamps to commemorate the birth of the Royal Baby, His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. Born on 22 July 2013 to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George is third in line to the throne . The large collectable stamps in this issue picture the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge cradling the baby Prince outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London.

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Classic Travel Posters of New Zealand …

 

Date of Issue : 7 August 2013

New Zealand Post will issue on 7th August,  20 stamps of travel posters in a sheet form featuring promotion of tourism through these posters few decades ago.

Upto  1960s these iconic travel posters played a key role in enticing tourists to make the lengthy journey to visit Aotearoa, and encouraging ‘Kiwis’ to see more of their own countryside. Decorating railway stations and public buildings, these posters reflected New Zealand’s unique landscape, and created a sense of national identity and pride that remains today.

The Classic Travel Posters stamp issue features a selection of these posters – each rich in colour and a beautifully crafted work of art in its own right. The 20 posters selected showcase New Zealand’s diverse scenery, from the snow-covered Southern Alps in the south to the sun-drenched beaches of Tauranga in the north. New Zealand’s love of the outdoors is apparent through activities such as fishing, skiing and even sheep droving. Its distinctive plant and bird life makes an appearance, as do the attractions of Mäori culture, an important part of New Zealand’s identity.

The 20 x 70c stamps in this issue are combined into one eye catching gummed stamp sheet that evokes a sense of nostalgia for the early years of New Zealand tourism.Here are some stamps  from the issue..

Napier

Railways Studios produced a large number of tourism posters featuring town destinations for outdoor holidays. This Napier poster was produced in 1933, and the Art Deco design reflects the style of the buildings being constructed at the time to replace those destroyed in the 1931 earthquake.

Tasman Empire Airways Ltd (TEAL)

In the 1940s TEAL (now Air New Zealand) introduced flights between New Zealand and Australia, making New Zealand more accessible to international visitors. This poster, designed by Arthur Thompson in the 1950s, shows a carved Mäori figure with the TEAL logo flying through its mouth.

Blue Baths, Rotorua

Leonard Mitchell has been referred to as the ‘father’ of New Zealand poster art, and the Blue Baths, Rotorua poster was one of many that he designed. His work for the Tourist and Publicity Department in the 1930s captured distinctively New Zealand scenes for the overseas tourist, such as the ‘thermal wonderland’ of Rotorua.

Sheep Droving

This Sheep Droving poster was designed by Marcus King in the 1930s and contrasts the delights of rural New Zealand with modernity by showing a mounted drover with a mob of sheep against snowcapped mountains in a valley of electricity pylons. Posters of this style used the silkscreen printing process.

 

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Honey Bees..

 

Date of Issue : 3 July 2013

New Zealand Post issued a set of 5 stamps and a miniature sheet featuring Honey Bees and honey industry.

The humble honey bee plays a crucial role in New Zealand's primary industry, and is responsible for much more than just honey production.

Honey bees have been kept in New Zealand for more than 150 years, and 2013 marks 100 years of the National Beekeepers' Association of New Zealand. In the years since bees were introduced to New Zealand, beekeeping has developed from a home craft to a progressive industry, and New Zealand is now recognised as one of the world's most advanced beekeeping countries.

The importance of horticulture and agriculture to New Zealand’s economy means that we may be more dependent on pollination from the honey bee than any other nation on Earth. Roughly one third of everything we eat is pollinated by bees, and many of our crops would not be viable without bee pollination.

Sadly honey bees in New Zealand are under threat as a result of the Varroa mite. This collectable stamp issue aims to raise awareness of the role the honey bee plays in New Zealand, and tells the story of how the precious honey bee makes its honey.

From the hive to the table...

70c - Collecting the nectar 

The first step in making honey is the gathering of nectar, which is normally done by ‘field bees’. The busy bees fly from flower to flower using their long tongues (proboscises) like straws to extract the nectar. Each bee stores the nectar in its ‘honey sac’, which can weigh almost as much as the bee itself when full. Within the honey sac, enzymes break down the complex sugars of the nectar into simpler sugars – a process known as ‘inversion’.

$1.40 - Returning to the hive 

Once the field bees’ honey sacs are full of nectar, the bees return to their hives. A single hive can contain thousands of bees, most of which are workers. When the field bees are back inside the hive, they place the honey into the cells closest to the entrance. Within each hive is a single queen bee, which goes out to mate with a drone (male) in the air and then returns to the hive where she lays eggs to produce more workers.

$1.90 - In the hive 

Inside the hive, the young worker ‘house bees’ transfer the nectar to the honey storage area of the hive. Enzymes are added to the nectar and the nectar is then further concentrated by house bees creating an air current inside the hive by fanning their wings to dry the nectar into honey. This process is called ‘ripening’. Once the honey has a water content less than 20 percent, the bees seal the cell of the honeycomb with a wax cap.

$2.40 - Harvesting the honey

To harvest the honey, beekeepers remove the combs from the hives and spin them in centrifuges, or honey extractors. This process removes the honey from the combs and makes it relatively easy for the beekeepers to harvest the honey without damaging the hives or hurting the bees. Many beekeepers use veils and gloves to protect themselves during harvesting. Some also use bee smokers to mask a pheromone emitted by bees – making it less likely that the bees will become agitated as the beekeepers work.

$2.90 - Ready to eat 

Once harvested, the honey is processed and packaged into the jars and bottles we see on supermarket shelves. New Zealand honey products are sought after worldwide, and of the 9,000 to 12,000 tonnes of honey that are produced annually, one-third to half is exported. Honey is increasingly differentiated according to the flower source, and New Zealand is known around the world for its premium natural honey, particularly manuka honey, which is renowned for its antiseptic properties.

Club News

President Emeritus of Gujarat Philatelists’ Association Mr. Mainak Kathiara was interviewed for Doordarshan program and was telecast on Doordarshan’s Girnar Channelseveral times. The focus of interview was on Hobby of Philately and concerns and activities of promoting Philately right from beginning of life.

From Our Readers…

Publicity Folder from France showing  various mode of mail delivery

: Timir R. Shah – Vadodara

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