Home > About Me
About Me
 I started collecting stamps in the mid 1980s with Australian first day covers and the usual school boy collection of worldwide stamps. Having relatives in the UK I soon settled on used Britain, and then moved onto mint Australia and Britain.
Over the years my collecting interests have expanded to include Australian territories, a number of Pacific and Atlantic islands, a number of European countries (including the Netherlands) and Canada. However, my main passon is modern stamps and their production, with the majority of my time spent on four main areas:
- Decimal Australia
- Great Britain decimal commemoratives
- Great Britain decimal definitives (especially the Machins!)
- Modern Canada
Many comment about the number of new issues, and while I generally agree that too many stamps are being produced, to me the variety of production techniques and the possibility of discovering something new is part of their fascination. This was the reason for starting this website - to publish accurate and timely information about new Australian stamps, hence allowing collectors the chance to get these stamps while they are still available at reasonable cost.
Apart from my own studies I use a wide range of specialised and general catalogues, including the Australian Commonwealth Specialist Catalogue, Stanley Gibbons, Scott, Michel, Yvert & Tellier, Maury, Deegam, Connoisseur and many others. Links to these catalogue producers will be added to my Links page soon. I am also grateful to the staff of Australia Post for passing on information, and answering my many varied questions.
 Over the years, I have held various positions on both local and state philatelic bodies (including youth coordinator), and part of the organising committee for state and national stamp shows. I am also a member of a large number of philatelic societies, listed below.
Of course stamps are not my only interest. My fascination for mathematics, lead to a mathematics degree and a job teaching high school mathematics. I also have a interest in family history, and as I write this my two beagles (Jasper and Bertie) are busy inspecting their home!
Contact Me
I am always happy to answer any questions about modern Australia or stamp production. Feel free to contact me either by e-mail or mail.
E-mail: stamps@chrisdehaer.com.au
Write to: PO Box 1448, Booragoon WA 6954, Australia
Stamp Clubs
I'm a member of a number of clubs, both in Australia and around the world.
Australian Clubs
Fremantle & Districts Philatelic Society
Rockingham & Kwinana Districts Philatelic Society
Philatelic Society of Canberra
Overseas Clubs - British Stamps
Modern British Philatelic Circle
Machin Collectors Club
Great Britain Collectors Club
Overseas Clubs - Canadian Stamps
Elizabethan Study Group
British North American Philatelic Society
Overseas Clubs - British Commonwealth
Falkland Islands Study Group
St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha Study Group
Pacific Island Study Group
Overseas Clubs - Worldwide
American Philatelic Society
American Topical Association
Fremantle & Districts Philatelic Society
Old of Western Australia's oldest stamp clubs, visitors are welcome to attend up to three meetings.
Meetings are held second Wednesday of each month.
Meets at Fremantle Tennis Club, Parry St, Fremantle (see map below).
Doors Open 6.30pm, Meetings Start 8pm
For more information:
Write to: PO Box 146, South Fremantle WA 6162
E-mail: stamps@chrisdehaer.com.au
Website: http://www.fremantlephilatelicsociety.com/ 
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2010 Programme
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13 January
10 February
10 March
14 April
12 May
9 June
14 July
11 August
8 September
13 October
10 November
8 December
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Members Other Hobbies
Mini Display (including Thematic Competition)
School Boys Collection Display
Annual General Auction
Poland Display
Great Britain: Pre-Decimal Used Display
Hidden Stamps Competition
Marcophily Revisited
Postcards of Fremantle and Surrounding Districts
Customs Duty Stamps - London to Australia
Break-up of the Ottoman Empire
Annual General Meeting, Christmas Function
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Sale by Tender and Circuit Sheets at all meetings (except April and December)
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Rockingham & Kwinana Districts Philatelic Society
Visitors are always welcome to attend meetings, and are ensure a warm welcome.
Meetings are held third Tuesday of each month (second Tuesday in December).
Meets at Church of Christ Hall, Cnr Rae Rd and Frederick St, Safety Bay (see map below).
Doors Open 6.30pm, Meetings Start 7.30pm
For more information:
Write to: PO Box 127, Rockingham WA 6968
E-mail: tboyd@iinet.net.au
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2010 Programme
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19 January
16 February
16 March
20 April
18 May
15 June
20 July
17 August
21 September
19 October
16 November
14 December
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Arthur Pearce Memorial Display
Concorde Display
Workshop, Hidden Display Competition
Letters E & X
Interclub Display
Trophy Display. Club Class, Eddie Hyde and Senior Trophies
Bring and Buy. As You Like It (3 pages)
Great Britain Definitives
Keryn Kaye Trophy
Annual General Meeting. President's Display
Thematic Trophy
Vera Wood Award. Theme Animals and Birds (3 pages)
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Sale by Tender and Circuit Sheets at all meetings (except July)
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About this Website
History
This website started as a method of sharing timely and accurate information about modern Australian stamps, allowing collectors the chance to buy these varieties at reasonable cost.
Production
I've been asked by a few visitors about the technical side of this website.
The site is hand-coded on a Mac in Coda (www.panic.com/coda ). I don't usually recommend software, but Coda is fantastic - everything from coding, previewing and uploading is done in the one program.
Design wise, I try to keep my websites well structured, with simple and consistent design. Graphics are produced in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, with Adobe's Myriad typeface used for all graphical elements. Navigation at the top, left and bottom is kept consistent and manageable by server side includes. The formatting of the text is handled by cascading style sheets.
Information Tooltips
I believe this is the only philatelic website in Australia (and maybe the world) with its own built-in information system. Instead of crowding the page with extra information, just place your cursor over 'more information' and you'll be given extra information on the item, or the option to go to my glossary. The tooltips are powered by JavaScripts produced by Walter Zorn (www.walterzorn.com ).
Banners
Inspired by Google, the banner at the top of every page changes every so often. The banner might feature a recent stamp issue, or celebrate an event.
Showing the colourful new 60c definitives (click on the banner to enlarge it)
16 July 2010 to
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Celebrating Chinese New Year - Year of the Tiger (click on the banner to enlarge it)
13 February 2010 to 15 July 2010
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Australian Legends 2010 (click on the banner to enlarge it). Note: this strip was generated by computer.
21 January to 13 February 2010
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If you have more information, or spot an error, please e-mail me.
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