Australia 2000 Face of Australia

Issue Date : 1 January 2000
Designed by : Jo Muré
Printed by : McPherson's Printing Group, Mulgrave
Print Process : Lithography
Perforations : 14½ x 14
Stamp Size: 26 mm x 37.5 mm
Format: sheetlets of 25
Withdrawal date: 30 December 2000

Description

To celebrate the beginning of the year 2000, Australia Post issued a sheetlet of 25 stamps. Each stamp features a photograph of an Australian resident. As a group the stamps give us a snapshot of the nation at this moment in Australia's history.

The project started with a national search. Members of the public submitted photographs of people whom they believed encapsulated a face of Australia. The community responded enthusiastically with many thousands of entries.

Australia Post staff made the initial selection. These were given to state selection committees, which further narrowed the field to 25 finalists in each state. These images were sent to the Stamp Advisory Committee, where the images you see were selected. The aim was to reflect the Australian community as closely as possible, with respect to age groups, ethnicity, gender balance, national distribution, and so on, while at the same time creating an interesting, balanced sheetlet.

Stamps

45c Nicholle & Meghan Triandis Stamp

Queensland: Twin sisters, Nicholle and Meghan, are part of the future of Australia. Photographed by Katherine Triandis.

45c Nicholle & Meghan Triandis

45c David Willis Stamp

Queensland: David is a cattleman living in remote central Queensland, doing the job that he loves. With a family of five children, David a true face of outback Australia. Photographed by Darryl Cooper.

45c David Willis

45c Natasha Bramley Stamp

South Australia: Natasha is an environmentalist who loves and helps protect our coastline and teaches children about the coast. Photographed by Scott Pearson.

45c Natasha Bramley

45c Cyril Watson Stamp

Central Australia: Cyril lives in a remote community in central Australia. Photographer Nigel Brown says Cyril is a typical Aussie kid who enjoys the outdoors.

45c Cyril Watson

45c Mollie Dowdall Stamp

Western Australia: As a depression baby, Mollie grew up in a house with no running water, no electricity. Photographer Katie Taylor describes Mollie as "an honest Aussie battler", and "the best mate anyone could wish for".

45c Mollie Dowdall

45c Robin Dicks Stamp

Western Australia: Robin is a flying instructor at a flying school, studying for her transport pilot’s licence. Her late father was a doctor with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Photographed by Patricia Dicks.

45c Robin Dicks

45c Mary Simons Stamp

Tasmania: Mary is a World War II veteran. Her daughter submitted her photograph. Photographed by Ruth N. Timperon.

45c Mary Simons

45c Peta & Samantha Nieuwerth Stamp

New South Wales: To photographer Julie Freeman, Peta and baby Samantha represent the happiness and vitality of young Australia.

45c Peta & Samantha Nieuwerth

45c John Matthews Stamp

Victoria: Photographer Jo-Ann Lange believes John, a general practitioner, typifies the Australian ethos of caring.

45c John Matthews

45c Edith Dizon-Fitzimmons Stamp

Victoria: Edith, who is originally from the Philippines, works tirelessly for the community, sings in a choir and is undertaking tertiary studies, despite being legally blind. Photographed by Peter Abbey.

45c Edith Dizon-Fitzimmons

45c Philippa Weir Stamp

Queensland: Photographer Robert Douglas thinks his daughter Philippa’s face epitomises this country–expressive, happy, fresh and young. Phillipa is a social science teacher.

45c Philippa Weir

45c John (Jack) Thurgar Stamp

New South Wales: Jack is a Vietnam veteran, "an ordinary Australian who rolls up his sleeves to get the job done". He earned the Star of Courage while serving with the Australian Federal Police in Cyprus and an MBE for services to the disabled. Photographed by Toni McNeill.

45c John (Jack) Thurgar

45c Miguel Alzona Stamp

New South Wales: This photo was taken at Miguel’s sports carnival. It captures the true spirit of children in Australia and the increasing diversity of the Australian population. Photographed by Richard Bator.

45c Miguel Alzona

45c Rachael Thomson Stamp

Queensland: Rachael’s photograph was submitted by one of her work colleagues at the local TAFE Institute, because ‘she represents Australia through her carefree sunny nature’. Photographed by Tahnya Heath.

45c Rachael Thomson

45c Necip Akarsu Stamp

Victoria: Necip is a post office employee, whose photograph was submitted because he adds to the wonderful amalgam of multiculturalism in Australia. Photographed by Antony White.

45c Necip Akarsu

45c Justin Allan Stamp

New South Wales: Photographer Lynn Maree Bagnato says her nephew Justin has been serving his country in the Royal Australian Navy since he was seventeen. He is away for up to six months of the year protecting the country he loves.

45c Justin Allan

45c Wadad Dennaoui Stamp

Victoria: Photographer Claudia Maharaj thinks Wadad’s Lebanese heritage shows Australia's diverse mix of cultures.

45c Wadad Dennaoui

45c Jack Laity Stamp

Victoria: Jack is a former rabbiter whom photographer Gay Evans thinks is the true face of country Australia. Jack now grows vegetables for the locals in his community.

45c Jack Laity

45c Kelsey Stubbin Stamp

Queensland: Kelsey’s ambitions are to "play cricket for Queensland and Australia, to get more wickets than Dennis Lillie and to have a better average in tests than Don Bradman". Photographed by L. Stubbin.

45c Kelsey Stubbin

45c Gianna Rossi Stamp

South Australia: Gianna is the hard-working mother of two children. Photographer Nicholas Wrankmore entered her photograph as a surprise.

45c Gianna Rossi

45c Paris Hansch Stamp

New South Wales: Paris is photographer Nancy Hansch's adopted daughter and the light of her life. Nancy and her husband moved to Australia from America in 1990.

45c Paris Hansch

45c Donald George Whatham Stamp

New South Wales: Educating Australia school children for forty-five years makes Donald's face a bridge between past, present and future Australia. Photograph from Fotomakers-Australia.

45c Donald George Whatham

45c Stacey Coull Stamp

Northern Territory: Stacey lives in the Gulf of Carpenteria, her blend of European and Aboriginal ethnicity creates a stunning example of Australia today. Photographed by Kathy Roberts.

45c Stacey Coull

45c Alex Payne Stamp

New South Wales: Alex is "the classic Aussie kid". He loves being outside in the sun and is happiest when riding his BMX bike. Photographed by Oliver Ford.

45c Alex Payne

45c John Lodge Stamp

New South Wales: In his home town John is a symbol of hope for anyone needing assistance. Like many other Australians, John has dedicated his life to helping people in their time of need. Photographed by Peter James Lorimer.