Rotary centenary stamp released

A STAMP commemorating the Rotary Club's centenary (1905-2005) was released on June 30. This commemorative $30 postage stamp features the image of the Rotary Centenary logo. First day covers with these stamps are priced at $100 each.

About Rotary

Rotary is a worldwide voluntary organisation of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations and seeks to build goodwill and peace in the world. There are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians from 31,000 Rotary Clubs, located in 166 countries.

The world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois in the United States , was formed on February 23, 1905 by Paul P Harris. He was an attorney who wished to recapture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small town of his youth.

The name 'Rotary'

The name 'Rotary' comes from the early practice of rotating meetings among member offices. The mission of Rotary International is to support its member clubs in fulfilling the objective of Rotary by:

n Fostering unity among member clubs.

n Strengthening and expanding Rotary around the world.

n Communicating worldwide the work of Rotary and providing a system of international administration.

Placing your orders

It is anticipated that all Rotarians will wish to secure a souvenir as well as share this with friends and business colleagues. For more information on how to get these memorabilia items, please call the Philatelic Bureau at the following post offices: Central Sorting Office, Liguanea, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay #1 and the Norman Manley International Airport . By mail, orders should be addressed to:

Postmaster General,

Philatelic Bureau,

Central Sorting Office,

P.O. Box 7000

Kingston ,

JMAKN02,

Jamaica

contributed

Head postmaster Ivett Chambers-Greaves (left) instructing the postal service's new team of regional managers during a recent training session held at the Central Sorting Office in Kingston . These new middle managers will be assigned to manage postal operations in parishes as follows: Sophia Brown (second left) for Clarendon, Miguel Arthurs for St. James; and Hyacinth Hartley for St. Thomas . They are currently involved in an intensive training programme prior to undertaking their assignments in mid-July.

The Gleaner Pg. 5B

Preparing mail items properly

SUPERINTENDENT OF parcels at the Central Sorting Office (CSO), L. Joy Williams, states that careful preparation of mail helps the postal service to deliver items safely and quickly.

She offers advice to the public on how mail can be prepared to avoid problems with packages.

Letters/Other Documents

Letters can be sent in standard paper envelopes. Items such as photographs and certificates that need extra protection can be sent in bubble-lined, padded (paper or waterproof) envelopes, with a piece of hard cardboard or ply board to ensure rigidity.

Boxes

Sturdy cardboard boxes may be sufficient for items weighing up to four kilograms (9 lb).

Heavier packages require heavy-duty corrugated fibreboard, with the bottom being both glued and taped.

When a box is re-used, cover previous labels and markings with a heavy black marker or adhesive labels.

Fragile Items

Boxes must have room to allow for cushioning materials around the contents.

Newspaper, foam 'peanuts', bubble wrap, or shredded paper are suitable for cushioning for fragile items.

Ms. Williams suggests that the word 'fragile' be clearly marked on each side of the package and the top clearly indicated by writing 'top', as well as drawing an arrow along each side with the point at the top.

Sealing Boxes

Make sure to tape the

opening of boxes and reinforce all seams with two-inch wide tape, using grey reinforced packaging tape (duct tape) or brown packaging tape.

Customer Requirements

One of these forms of identification must be presented at the post office:

n Passport

n Driver's Licence

n National ID

n Firearm Licence.

A return address is to be clearly indicated on the front of the package in the upper left corner, and customers must complete a form - provided by the post office - declaring the contents.

For further details, please contact your nearest post office or email us at:

postcorpadmin@colis.com

Internet facility: changing to serve better

The Postal Corporation of Jamaica and Cable and Wireless Jamaica (C&WJ) are still pressing ahead to provide Internet facilities at its post offices islandwide.

The postal service is now in dialogue with C&WJ which has welcomed the feedback from post office staff regarding the following:

n The performance of the 'stand-up' style Internet kiosks.

n Customer responses, as well as the extent to which the service was utilised.

Customer feedback indicated a preference for a café-style service with individual computer stations.

Based on such feedback, a revised modality for delivering access to the 'information highway' was formulated, and now, thanks to C&WJ, there exists a revised service format with two new 'sit-down' terminals at the new Liguanea Post Office, located at the Liguanea Post Mall, 115 Hope Road, Kingston 6.

This is a pilot test to determine usage patterns, the convenience of the seated position and possible security problems that may arise.

The plan is for C&WJ to place 60 such terminals in post offices across the island.

Readers who have taken advantage of this new workstation-type facility can share their comments you can email us at postcorp_admin@colis.com.

Philately corner

Chinese 150th anniversary stamp series released

The first Chinese immigrants came to Jamaica in July 1854. They joined the pool of nationalities that make up the Jamaican populace.

This diversity contributes to the strength of our nation and gives credence to our national motto 'Out of Many, One People'.

To highlight the 150th anniversary of the Chinese arrival in Jamaica , a special commemorative stamp series was launched on Wednesday.

Three stamps constitute the series, each depicting a unique feature of the life of the Chinese in Jamaica . These are:

n The Chinese Benevolent Association on Old Hope Road in St. Andrew.

n Chinatown circa 1940 ( Barry Street area).

n Ackee from Jamaica , and lychee and pak choi from China (popular foods from each culture).

These stamps are now available at the following post offices: Central Sorting Office (CSO), Liguanea, Constant Spring and Montego Bay . First-day covers will be provided upon request. Further details and copies of the stamp bulletin can be obtained from the Philatelic Bureau, Central Sorting Office, Kingston , Tel: 922-9430-8.