Geelong Philatelic Society Inc.
Firstly, you will need to fill out an application form with your name, address, your mailing address (if different), a contact phone number and email address (if you have one). This needs to be endorsed with the signatures of two current members, and will be tabled at a Saturday meeting for consideration. At the following Saturday meeting, a vote from all members present will be called to accept your nomination, and you will be formally welcomed into the club. At that time, if you’re present, you will be presented with a club nametag and a Calendar of events. If unable to attend, these items will be sent to you.
The G.P.S. requires a $5 joining fee, and an annual subscription of $15 to be paid at the end of June each year. Members who join after the beginning of the calendar year are only required to pay a half-yearly subscription of $7.50 for the first six months.
As an affiliated member of the Australian Philatelic Federation, through the Victorian Philatelic Council, the club pays a yearly insurance premium which provides Public Liability cover up to $20 million. As an incorporated body, we are governed by the rules laid down by Consumer Affairs Victoria to whom the club is responsible for our annual statement, and to whom we also pay associated fees. The club hires meeting rooms at both the Belmont Pavilion and the Virginia Todd Hall, with 11 meetings held at each venue every year.
The Geelong Philatelic Society, in conjunction with the Geelong Numismatic Society, also holds a Stamp and Coin Fair at the Geelong West Town Hall during October each year, as part of the Victorian Seniors Festival.
The above items are the largest financial costs borne by the club through members subscriptions, but there are other, smaller, items which are also outlaid during the year. At each A.G.M., the financial books are available for inspection and all financial members have the right to question club expenditure at any time.
Throughout the year, we have club competitions which are open to all financial members. The Geelong Philatelic Society holds 5 perpetual trophies; the Shrimpton Cup, presented annually to the member voted to have given the most valuable service to the club over the year; the Gason Cup for our 15-page competition; the McEwan Cup for our 2-page competition; the Grundell Cup for our 1-page competition; and the Young trophy for junior members which, sadly, has not been awarded for several years. We also hold an annual 6-page competition, the winner of which will receive the Davis Memorial trophy which they get to keep permanently.
The club possesses an extensive library of philatelic material which is available to members. This ranges from highly-specialised material for the serious philatelist, to general works intended to assist beginners in the hobby and everything in between.
