Star footballers to be 2012 Australian Legends
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
The champions of Australia's four codes of football - Australian rules, football (soccer), rugby union and rugby league - will have the rare honour of becoming immortalised on a postage stamp.
In 2012, the Australia Post Australian Legends Award will recognise eight of Australia's greatest football heroes. Together, these living legends will represent the four codes of football, with one all-time legend and one current playing legend representing each sport.
For the first time since the prestigious Australia Post Australian Legends Award commenced in 1997, Australia Post has revealed the category that will be honoured two months ahead of the presentation.
The identity of the individual recipients will remain a tightly-held secret until the stamps go on sale on Friday, 20 January - when the first of the nation's Australia Day gala events will be held in Sydney.
Australia Post has established expert judging panels for each of the four codes - comprising a journalist, a broadcaster and a former champion player - to select the eight footballers who will be named as the 2012 Australian Legends.
Australia Post Managing Director and CEO, Ahmed Fahour, said the 2012 Legends will be chosen for their contribution to Australian sporting culture and for playing a vital role in shaping Australia as a great sporting nation.
"These football Legends will be chosen because they have inspired millions of Australians with their remarkable achievements - both on and off the field. The stamps will be a constant reminder of the history these players have created - whether it be in Australian rules, football, rugby union or rugby league," Mr Fahour said.
The Legends Award began 15 years ago when Sir Donald Bradman was the first living Australian to be honoured on an Australian stamp. Prior to that, the only living people honoured on our nation's stamps were members of the royal family.
In total, 52 people have received the Australia Post Australian Legends Award over the past 15 years, including Arthur Boyd, Slim Dusty, Rod Laver, Dame Joan Sutherland, Barry Humphries, Bart Cummings, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, Nicole Kidman and Peter Carey.
Last year, the award was given to four women who have advanced the cause of gender equality in Australia: Eva Cox, Elizabeth Evatt, Germaine Greer and Anne Summers.
The 2012 Legends will be honoured at the official Australia Day lunch in Sydney on Friday 20 January, as well as subsequent Australia Day events staged in all capital cities leading up to 26 January. Each Legend will be presented with a 24-carat gold replica of the stamp on which he features.
The Legends will feature on 8 x 60c stamps, a stamp pack, first day cover and set of maxicards. Accompanying the stamp issue is a commemorative biography, titled The Top of Their Game, written by sports author John Harms and journalists Ray Gatt, Mike Sheahan, Jim Tucker and Phil Rothfield. The biography will detail the life stories and major achievements of the eight 2012 Australian Legends.