Congress Medal 2024
The ABPS has awarded the 2024 Congress Medal to Bill Hedley, FRPSL, who has made and continues to make contributions to organised philately at all levels. He was elected president of the Federation of European Philatelic Associations in 2019, having previously served as a UK delegate, and in 2023, he was re-elected for a second term of office.
Having recognised a gap in the international philatelic calendar, he served as chairman of the organising committee of EuroPhilex 2015. Under his chairmanship the show set out to differ from previous international exhibitions by attracting many more overseas dealers and securing special items such as the printing plate for the Mauritius 1847 Post Office issue and the printing machine used by Jean de Sperati for printing his forgeries, loaned from the Museum of the Royal Philatelic Society London. In addition, for the first time, he introduced the organisation of a philatelic rarities auction.
Bill is a qualified postal history judge, both at national and international level, and has acted as a UK commissioner with responsibilities for ensuring the safe delivery and return of exhibitors’ material sent to overseas exhibitions. He has served on the executive committee of the ABPS and as a director of that company. He held the position of chairman of the exhibitions and international committee together with directorships of ABPS Exhibitions Ltd and Stamp World Exhibitions. Of considerable benefit was his successful negotiation of an ongoing three-year arrangement with the National Imports Reliefs Unit of HM Revenue and Customs to obtain duty relief exempting the import and export of philatelic exhibits from taxation.
As a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, he was curator
