Hasluck Winner

Harold Clay 2003

Harold	Harold & Ester

Harold was one of the major instigators in the formation of the Mandurah Philatelic Society in 1977. He was the first President, has held all committee positions at various times over the past twenty-five years and has been awarded the Club’s highest award as Life Member.

Harold attended Western Australian Philatelic Council meetings and workshops (which included exhibition layouts and judging) so that he could teach other members and offer these skills to the general community of Mandurah. He also attended as the Mandurah Philatelic Society’s Delegate and held committee positions during that time.

Through the Mandurah Philatelic Society, he set up and manned Saturday Morning workshops at the Mewburn Centre in Mandurah, to help adults and school children with any of their philatelic needs.

Harold was able to motivate and arrange for Club members to attend local schools and form lunchtime stamp Clubs. Thanks to those visits, those lunchtime Clubs are currently able to arrange inter-club competitions and enter stamp design competitions held by Australia Post.

In 1979, he organised the only Philatelic show outside the Perth Metropolitan area. Run over a weekend at Mandurah Senior High School, it attracted a lot of local publicity. As a result of this weekend, the Mandurah Philatelic Society membership increased considerably.

In 1981, the same year that Harold was awarded Life Membership of the Mandurah Philatelic Society, he moved to Dunsborough. Upon settling in at Dunsborough, he formed a new stamp club, based on the successful lines of Mandurah. Due to Harold’s presence, a strong tie developed between the two Clubs. He became the first elected President and immediately started a circuit sheet to be sent to all the regular members. He was also able to arrange membership of the new Club in the WAPC.

In 1987, he moved to Rockingham and joined the Philatelic Society of Rockingham and Kwinana Districts, which was newly formed from a nucleus of Mandurah Philatelic Society members.

However, he returned to Mandurah Philatelic Society, which had gone into recess. With new enthusiasm and help from some of the early members, he was able to get the Club up and running again and once again became its President.

In 1991, he moved back to Mandurah and has been able to run and maintain a very healthy Club since. Between 1991 and the present, the Club venue has changed several times but now seems to be very settled in its latest venue at the Mandurah Bridge Club.

With the Club now having strong membership, Harold has been able to move away from his committee commitments and concentrate on spending more time with his wife during her ongoing illness. However, he continues to represent the Mandurah Philatelic Society at the Daytime stamp meetings in Perth and assists the Club in many matters, including welcoming and settling new members and assisting members with Club and exhibition layouts. In addition, Harold has undertaken to document the Club’s history. This will be released as instalments in successive issues of the Club’s quarterly Journal.

While Mandurah Philatelic society is only a country stamp Club, Harold’s contribution to Philately in Mandurah and the southwest is as important to the region as the contributions of other Hasluck Medal nominees have been to the Perth Metropolitan Area and the international standing of both regions.