1993 Winner


Dorrit Hunt

Dorrit Hunt has spent much of her life in Albany and she has been a major factor in the development of stamp collecting and philately in the Great Southern Region.

In 1957 her efforts to establish a stamp club in the town came to fruition with the formation of the Albany and Districts Philatelic Society of which she was foundation Secretary. She remained in this vital position for the next five years.

Although the Society ceased operating in 1962, Dorrit Hunt continued to promote the hobby in a very positive way which started in 1958 as a weekly broadcast for children on the local commercial radio station 6VA. This program developed into one for adults as well as children and as the 'Stamp Lady', Dorrit Hunt broadcast on a weekly basis for some twenty-five years. Anyone who has produced a weekly newspaper column or a regular radio show will recognise this as an extraordinary achievement.

Dorrit Hunt recognised the importance of community activity as a complement to her radio work and stamp designing and other competitions for juniors were held on a regular basis in Albany. She organized and judged a Junior Stamp Section at the annual Albany Show for many years.

She encouraged and assisted youth organizations such as the Scouts, Guides and Brownies in the promotion of the hobby amongst their members and was always willing to supervise and assist with stamp collecting projects.

There can be no doubt that Dorrit Hunt has contributed a great deal to the hobby under circumstances of relative isolation, limited population, and a lack of supporting facilities. That she was able to maintain a viable stamp collecting presence in Albany for a quarter century is a tribute to her dedication and enthusiasm for the hobby