KSC History

History of the KSC - Part One

The Kiwi Exchange Club

The KSC had its origins in the Kiwi Exchange Club, which was founded in 1930 by Walter Nicholas at the age of 24. The club’s object was to offer collectors and correspondents in all parts of the world an opportunity to get in close touch with one another by publishing their names and addresses with their hobbies in a quarterly newsletter called ‘Hobby News’.

This club with several thousand members world-wide, was run from Auckland, New Zealand, and was the largest club of its kind in the Empire.

In 1951, members were recorded in Angola, Antigua, Azores, Aden, Argentina, Austria, Australia*, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Borneo, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burma, Canada*, Canal Zone, Chile, Canary Is, Cayman Is, Ceylon, China, Congo, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark*, Egypt, England*, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Gold Coast, Greece, Grenada, Holland, Honduras, Hong Kong, India*, Indonesia*, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malaya*, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, New Guinea, Nigeria, New Zealand*, Norway, Nyasaland, Pakistan, Pitcairn Is, Peru, Phillipines, Poland, Portugal, Rhodesia, Sarawak, Scotland, Siam, Somaliland, South Africa*, Spain, Straits Settlements*, Sudan, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, SWA, Tanganyika, Trinidad, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uraguay, USA*, USSR, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zanzibar.
* = more than 50 members. An amazing list!

Newsletters usually contained over 70 pages, and included ~

• New Issue News compiled by R A Pepperell (member #50) manager of the New Zealand Stamps section

• Coin News compiled by Henning Christensen (member #4885) manager of the Portuguese Coins section

• Exchange and Mart - advertisements placed by members

• Listing of members with their collecting interests.

In 1951, the subscription was 5/- per year (£1 for 5 years)

Some extracts, chosen at random from the 1951 newsletter ~

#384 A G LADAK,BP 86, Usumbura, Ruanda Urundi postcards ~ stamped view side, photos of members, film stars stamps ~ common, air stamps, new issues, swap stamp for stamp, all kinds friendly correspondence languages ~ English, Hindi LIFE MEMBER

#398 E R MILLER, US Weather Bureau, Keflavik, Iceland postcards ~ photos of members papers ~ all kinds friendly correspondence, men only, prompt replies, all letters answered interested in sport, art, customs, photographs languages ~ English, Spanish

#683 MG SOE AUNG, Sanitary Inspector, Port Commissioners Office, Rangoon, Burma postcards ~ all kinds stamps ~ common, all kinds, used only, medium collector friendly correspondence, photographs languages ~ English

Walter grew up in the depression years, when honesty, hard work and integrity were important. He is described as “a man who filled the club with his whole being, he could walk into a room of strangers and make friends and talk intelligently with those he met, his interest was always in what other people were doing and what their hobbies were.”

Walter retired from active management of the Exchange Club in 1977 and died in 1979.