Australia Post will release a set of four stamps on 6 August 1986 as part of the continuing series of Australian Bicentennial issues. The stamps feature portraits of the principle people in the decision to establish a convict settlement on the shores of New South Wales.
Britain had used transportation as a means of convict punishment since the early 1600s, but it was not until the eighteenth century that transportation became commonplace. Convicts were sent to the Americas where they were used as servants and labourers. However, the American War of Independence brought a halt to the practice and Britain no longer had a dumping ground for its unwanted riff-raff.
Jails rapidly became congested. Hundreds of convicts incarcerated in rotting hulks on the Thames near London, and at Plymouth and Portsmouth. Diseases spread like wildfire fanned by the overcrowded conditions. Escape attempts were rife. Riots broke out. The government was besieged with pleas to do something about the situation.
King George III, Lord Sydney, Captain Arthur Phillip and Captain John Hunter are the men whose names figure prominently in the decision to settle at Botany Bay. The backgrounds of the stamps show those whose lives were affected by the decision: the convicts sentenced to transportation; and the aboriginal inhabitants of New South Wales whose lifestyle was soon to be forever changed in a fateful clash of cultures.
Details
- Date of Issue: 6 August 1986
- Withdrawn Date:
- 19 August 1986 (First Day Cover)
- 27 February 1987 (Stamps & Stamp Pack)
- Designer: David Lancashire
- Printer: Cambrec Press, Melbourne
- Process: Photolithography
- Colours:
- Paper: APWH stamp paper
- Perf: 13.25
- Sheet: 50 stamps (R5 x 5) printed in two panes, separated by horizontal gutter.
- Quantity:
Subjects
First Day Cover
The first day cover was priced at $2.14.
First Day Cover (Commemorative Postmarks)
Stamp Pack
The stamp pack was priced at $2.24.
Stamp Bulletin
Australia Stamp Bulletin No.184 (July 1986)
