THE STAMP CLUB

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 13 April 1945, Page 3

THE STAMP CLUB

(Conducted by the Stamp Man) Dear Boys and Girls, I expect if I asked you who Mr S. Holden Howie was you would not be able to tell me. but if I asked you about * the Great Barrier Island Pigeongrams you would at least be abie to tell me a little about this service. When it was decided to work the mining claims on Great Barrier Island (56 miles from .Auckland) the only means of communicating with the mainland was by steamer which called once a week. As 8 quicker means of sending messages it was decided to arrange a pigeon service and birds owned by Mr Parkin of Auckland were taken to the island by steamer and, when required, were released with messages which they took i to their Joft in Auckland. The first mesI sage was carried on 14th' May 1897 and, about a year later Mr Howie (whom I mentioned before, and who recently died in Auckland > trained a large number of birds and took over the service. As an easy means of collecting the charge for a message a stamp was issued in 1898, and when another pigeon fancier decided to start a rival service, he also issued stamps in 1899. Both types of stamps are illustrated below, and though they were not officially issued by the Post Office, they can be classes as the first Air stamps to be issued anywhere in the world. Your friend, THE STAMP MAN.