Perak has once again successfully hosted a major event which has brought new interest to the age-old hobby of stamp collecting. The atmosphere at the UTC venue was brimming with excitement as all present waited with eager anticipation for the opening ceremony.
The exhibition was put together by the members of the Ipoh Stamp Collection Group under the guidance and direction of its most enthusiastic member Ms Vera Radnell. The hard work and tireless efforts of this lady and the team paid off, as was evident in the wonderful displays of stamps at the exhibition.
Everyone had the opportunity to view these displays in an orderly fashion which made the whole experience even more enjoyable. There were beautiful thematic displays of stamps at the exhibitions, ranging from nature to iconic buildings to royalties. The exhibits were very well displayed and were so interesting and informative that it was easy to become immersed in the stories they told.
The president of the Philatelic society Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Anuar Basha was spot on, when he said that stamps are pictures of living history and we can learn so much from them. A stamp is basically a small piece of paper with so much to say, if only we stop and really take note of its story and beauty.
Yang Berhormat Mohamad Kamil bin Dato’ Shafie, the Director of Tourism Perak was on hand to lend support to this memorable occasion. In his opening speech he applauded the efforts of the Ipoh Stamp Collectors Groups for wanting to share their love of stamps with the people of Perak. He too shared the same passion of stamp collecting as a child but like a large majority of us, his enthusiasm eventually waned as he got older and other hobbies took centre stage. He was enthusiastic about going home to look through his collection and perhaps donate them to the society for their next exhibition, for which he received a resounding applause.
There was even an exhibition competition for novice exhibitors to encourage enthusiasm among the new collectors with entries from Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, UK, USA and China.
If you had read my previous article, where I mentioned my knowledge on stamps was limited to the “lick it and stick it action”, my respect for all things linked to stamps was further enhanced after attending the Perak Stamp Fair & Exhibition. I am now keenly looking forward to this being a yearly affair and I urge young and old to grab this opportunity to learn more about our beloved country and the world, through stamps.
Serena Mui
