By Andrew Humphries
Every Thursday for a few hours, a keen group of volunteers get together at a building in Brighton to gather and sort through hundreds of stamps.
They don’t make much of a fuss about what they are up to, but their efforts continue a remarkable story which began over 100 years ago.
In 1919, the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union started a stamp collecting program to raise money for missional work.
Taken on by the Uniting Church when it formed in 1977, the Uniting Church Adult Fellowship Stamp Fund, or Sammy Stamp as it is better known, has since chalked up $1.2 million through the sale of stamps, with about $1.15 million given to numerous projects.
“The Sammy Stamp guidelines say that ‘funds will be used for the relief of suffering, whether that suffering be physical, emotional, spiritual, or economic, or for the betterment of people who, in turn, will be able to influence the health and wellbeing of their immediate or extended community’,” convenor Allan Clark says.
Among recent projects to benefit were aid to Zambia ($4000), Frontier Services bush chaplains ($5000), the Uniting Vic.Tas Winter Appeal ($5000), and construction of a medical building on the Solomon Islands ($5000).
Allan has been the Sammy Stamp convenor since 2008 and is justifiably proud of the impact a few volunteers getting together every week can have in raising money for numerous worthy causes.
“I just keep things rolling along as convenor, but it tends to run itself, and we can have anywhere between five and 17 volunteers each week sorting through stamps,” he says.
Those volunteers spend about five hours each week going through stamps, occasionally striking gold and finding one that is worth quite a few dollars when sold on to collectors.
“We have seen stamps from as far back as the 19th Century and, over the years, some very valuable collections have come our way, which have raised a lot of money,” Allan says.
“The stamps come from all over Australia, but mainly from Victoria and Tasmania.
“What sometimes happens is we will be contacted by someone whose relative has died and left a substantial stamp collection, which they offer to us.
“We tend to do well now through selling some of the stamps online, and that has led to us getting coins in as well, which we also sell.”
As convenor, Allan’s role also entails considering applications that come in for funding through the Sammy Stamp program.
“When we get a grant application I’ll have a look at it and, if it fits our guidelines, I’ll show it to some of the committee members, and then pass it around to our volunteers on the day,” he says.
“We then take a vote on whether to accept the application, so it’s a very democratic process.
“From there, the UCAF Committee will approve it before it then goes to equipping Leadership for Mission for their approval.”
Volunteers are needed to continue the great work carried out by Allan and the team, and those interested need to devote just a few hours every Thursday to sort the stamps.
“It’s a fantastic social gathering as well, with a cross-section of ages,” Allan says.
For more details, contact Allan on (03) 9557 1008.