ESA Committee 2025/26

Mandy Bede, President

When I started work at the State Library of Victoria in the 1980s I was introduced to the political ephemera collections, the Riley Collection. It became part of my job to add to the collection by visiting political and social groups. I saw how political ephemera provided more information for historians. I have left the library but continue to collect mainly the type of material I think others do not value – ‘ugly’ postcards of Melbourne, recently produced Victorian published greeting cards, welfare ephemera, street pole stickers.

Annette Shiell, Vice President

I am a curator, researcher and historian. I was first introduced to ephemera when I worked with founding ESA President, Honor Godfrey on the ESA Growing Up in Australia exhibition. This experience led to a lifelong personal and professional interest in and passion for ephemera. I enjoy researching ephemera and using it as a historical and visual resource for projects.

I am a maverick and eclectic collector, but enduring ephemera interests include historic needlework and domestic arts, quirky street collectables and junk mail and Barbie.

Lyndel Walker, Secretary

I joined ESA after visiting a Fair in Camberwell. My interest in ephemera is mainly related to items that advertise ink or pen nibs. I have a large collection of inkwells that I exhibit at Collectable Shows and that sparked my interest in related ephemera.

I have worked in the philatelic trade for many years and I come across interesting paper items regularly. I don’t need to own them but I do like to admire them, and pass on my knowledge to other collectors. Outside of stamps I have been involved with Antique Bottle and Collectables clubs since the 1980s  and I have volunteered at various Op Shop for over 20 years.  I enjoy the ESA meetings every month and would encourage all local members to attend.

Margaret Birtley AM, Treasurer

I have been a member of the Ephemera Society of Australia since the late 1980s. My work in museums, sporting organisations, professional associations, universities and charities has given me more than 45 years of professional experience in the not-for-profit sector and a deep appreciation of movable cultural heritage. I am an active volunteer with the Heidelberg Historical Society, helping to manage its collection.

Personally, I am not a disciplined collector but keep family memorabilia and a modest assemblage of printed Christmas cards received from museums and heritage organisations in the 1990s and early 2000s. I am intrigued by the gum leaves and bannerettes painted by (or influenced by) Australian artist Lilla Reidy for patriotic fundraising during WW1. Since 1980 I have held many positions of responsibility (both paid and voluntary) where I have prepared budgets, managed the banking and provided financial reports.

Kris Waters, Committee Member

My association with the Ephemera Society of Australia (ESA) commenced in the late 1980s when I attended an event at The State Library of Victoria. Later I was heavily involved with organising the Ephemera Fairs when they were held at the Malvern Town Hall. I was also honoured to hold the position of President of the ESA for a period in the early 1990s.

I am an arctophile (collector and lover of teddy bears). Along with my collection of plush teddys, I have a large collection of teddy bear ephemera including business cards, swap cards, postcards, note pads, postage stamps, scrap books, erasers, pens, pencils, posters etc.

My other collections of ephemera include handbag mirrors with advertising, tea bag tags, swap cards, train/tram tickets, phone cards and many small advertising bits and pieces that catch my eye.

Debra Parry, Committee Member

I have collected a range of items, spasmodically over the years. However, since I joined the Ephemera Society I seemed to have started collecting a lot more.

I would love to collect items like sewing machines or typewriters, but they are just too large. So I focus on collecting postcards and historic photographs. I have a very large collection of postcards of dogs, but also have Melbourne postcards, postcards with ferns, kookaburras, koalas or kangaroos, and other ones that take my fancy. I am very interested in carte de visite and cabinet card photographs as I am interested in 19^th and early 20^th century photographic studios.

Andrew Hillier, ex officio Fair Organiser 

Simon Clegg, Committee Member

Immediate Past Committee Members

Edwin Jewell, past Treasurer

Retired after 39 years on 24 October 2025. Edwin Jewell, Treasurer who does not add up what he spends on his collection.

I am a second generation collector. Probably suffering from OCD, I have been collecting for about 40 years. I attended the first public meeting of the soon to be formed Ephemera Society of Australia at The State Library of Victoria. My collecting interests are reasonably broad but in many areas focus on the social history aspects of the areas I collect in. I collect everything from bookplates to Lindsayana, from the 1908 Fleet to things that I just like the look of. All this forms part of my collecting interests.

Garry James, past Secretary

Retired in 2025 after keeping the minutes and zoom meetings afoot. Secretary and ‘Santa ephemera’ aficionado

A long-standing Secretary of the ESA. From the early/mid 1970s I started collecting memorabilia of the 1956 Olympic Games held in Melbourne – I had actually attended the Games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as a very young lad. There were many ‘ephemeral’ items that were included in my original collection and although I have not been as active with the Games for a while, I seem to ‘gather’ items associated with Father Christmas and aviation. The ESA has made a significant contribution to igniting people’s awareness and passion for preserving many items that are a part of our social history.

Mimmo Cozzolino, ex officio Member and art director to ESA

Long time and ‘Founding Ephemerist’ Mimmo is concentrating on his other passions (retired from ESA in 2022) 

I am an Italian born, Australian designer, photographer and artist. In 1961 my family emigrated from Italy to Australia. I trained and worked as a graphic designer for three decades. I researched Symbols of Australia (Penguin Books, 1980), the first ever study of Australian trademarks and commercial iconography. When, in 1986, I accepted an invitation from Honor Godfrey to join the founding committee of the Ephemera Society of Australia I realized all my Christmases had come at once. Meeting collectors and their ephemera had been an exciting and valuable part of the research process for Symbols of Australia. Through the Society I  now had (and still have) the opportunity to meet so many more eclectic collectors. I haven’t been disappointed. This is why I love being involved in ESA. When people ask me what I collect my answer is ‘Collectors’. I love being around them and hearing about what they collect and how they go about building their collections. One day I would love to publish a book on the ephemera of the kangaroo.

Mick Stone, past Committee Member

Long standing member and a passionate student of Australian comics

I was a civil engineer (Construction) in a previous life, with a Master of Engineering Science degree, but I was seduced by the lure of rare comics, books and pamphlets, switching vocations in 1991. I am the owner of Camberwell Books, co-author of Bonzer – the book about Australian comics – and a passionate student in this field. I love to delve into the coal-face of ephemeral treasures wherever/whenever I can, hoping to find another unrecorded and/or dazzling item. I have been involved with the Ephemera Society for 20 plus years and was a committee member for 5 years.

Wendi Bradshaw, past Committee Member

Burst of energy and ideas committee member, Wendi is now concentrating on her many other interests.

My interest in ephemera began decades ago, following an introduction to the concept during graphic design studies. I actively collect many types of older, antique, vintage and retro ephemera pieces, including collections of luggage labels; wine/gin labels; pictorial die-cuts; volvelles; attractive bookmarks and (personal) travel related ephemera. As well as anything modern, attractive, or important – as example, political posters; lenticular (3D) imagery; certain swing tags (clothing lables); Covid 19 documents; business cards and advertising scraps. Unfortunately, the world is very large, and my storage space is very small – a conundrum many collectors endure.

All roles are voluntary and Committee is committed to conducting the affairs of the ESA with integrity, excellence and the highest professional and ethical standards. We actively encourage members to join the Committee. The ESA is a non-profit Society.