60 years ago today, the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia 7d* (penny) stamp was released. “So what?”, I hear you say. “Stamps are released every other day. What is so special about this one?” Well, this stamp, or should I say the designer of this stamp, had a close association with my maternal great-grandmother and her family. The designer of this stamp (as well as others) was James E Lyle (Jimmy). Regular readers will recognise the name as I have posted about the work and life of this Brisbane-born artist and his connection to our family. If you don’t know what I am talking about, have a look at James E Lyle … a lost art.
To provide some background, particularly for my international readers, the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) was founded by the Reverend John Flynn OBE, DD (1880-1951) who was an Australian Presbyterian minister. Through his work with the Australian Inland Mission which provided spiritual and practical assistance for those in the “Outback” of Australia, he saw first hand the hardships endured by them. Over time, Dr Flynn saw that one of the major needs was for medical assistance for the scattered population. Dr Flynn was a visionary and in 1928 the beginning of what was to become the RFDS was launched.
“The Royal Flying Doctor Service is one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world, providing extensive primary health care and 24-hour emergency service to people over an area of 7.3 million square kilometres.” RFDS Website 2017
For more detailed information on Dr Flynn and the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia please see RFDS Website.
On a personal note, I have an official first day issue addressed to my great aunt, Elsie Morley, date stamped Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, on 21 August, 1957 (below). While the cover is a little worse for wear, the stamp depicts the map of Australia with the Caduceus and in its shadow, that of an aeroplane covering Outback Australia. The Caduceus, often seen as a symbol of medicine, is a symmetrical staff with wings with two snakes intertwined. This official first day cover came with the compliments of the artist, James E Lyle (lower left corner).

While the RFDS did not receive any revenue for the stamp, they did receive much needed publicity. On the other hand, I understand that the RFDS received revenue for the Official First Day of Issue which I would imagine was very welcome.
Another first day cover provided by Jimmy’s niece, Gaile Davis, appears below. The following description was provided when she purchased it a few years ago:
- 1957 Australia First Day Cover The Royal Flying Doctor Service
- Designer: James E Lyle with modifications by B Stewart – Engraver: Donald Cameron – Printer: W C G McCracken
- Design shows a map of Australia overshadowed by the Caduceus, this stamp was released as a definitive and available for all purposes, but primarily to cover the postage and internal air mail rate.
- Issued 21 August with perforation 14¼ x 14
- First Day Cover 7d Blue Caduceus over Australia.

In the process of researching Jimmy Lyle’s life and art, I came across an article in an RFDS Magazine from May 1999. It provides a perspective of the Royal Flying Doctor Service and its connection with Jimmy. It seems that a past patient of the RFDS, Reg Ferguson, a former Troop Sergeant at Tobruk during World War II, conceived of the stamp after he was introduced to philately while convalescing after a number of operations. This new-found hobby led him to think about the design of a stamp to bring attention to the RFDS. He believed that the publicity the RFDS would receive would go some way to repaying his debt to the ‘Flying Doctor’. This was in 1946. He later enlisted the aid of another ex-serviceman, the artist, James E Lyle to design the stamp. Following some discussions with the grateful patient, Jimmy went about designing the stamp. At this time, Jimmy had never designed a stamp. After many years of lobbying the Post Master General of Australia, the stamp was finally released on 21 August 1957. For the full article, please see RFDS Magazine May 1999.
Interestingly, I also came across an article by Molly Elliott of the Auckland Star, written in the 1960s, where it documents Jimmy’s travels through Europe, Arabia, India and Australia. On arriving back in Australia from Europe and beyond, Jimmy landed in Adelaide. It was the mid 1950s and according to the article, Jimmy wanted to see more of Australia and embarked on a 3-4 month journey north to Darwin. Along the way he encountered the work of the RFDS and wanted to show his appreciation for their inspiring work and started gathering material for a stamp that would provide publicity for the organisation. So, this is probably after initial contact with Reg Ferguson around 1946. As with many things, the exact story is lost in the mists of time. However, the facts remain, that the stamp was indeed designed by Jimmy Lyle and approximately 66,000,000 stamps were sold during the period 1957 to 1959, before the postage price went up. (Some things never change!)
On another note, I saw a copy of a receipt for £100** from the RFDS. This is the same amount Jimmy received in payment by the Commonwealth of Australia for the design of the stamp. Jimmy donated the whole amount to the RFDS. I understand Jimmy had a long relationship with the ‘Flying Doctor’.
A photo and a few documents regarding Jimmy’s connection with the RFDS appear below. Apologies for the poor quality of the photos. The State Library of Queensland is not conducive to good photography! Regardless, I am sure you will get the gist of it. If you take the time to read the fine print in the article, it states that Jimmy was a temporary resident of New Zealand. He lived and worked in Auckland for a number of years during the 1950s.


Another of Jimmy’s artwork included a mural, measuring 17 feet x 6 feet (5.1 metres x 1.8 metres), which was located in the Brisbane General Post Office Boardroom in 1961. It depicts not only various stamps, including the RFDS 7d stamp, but also an assortment of postal department equipment and apparatus.

In the photo of the initial viewing of the mural (below), Jimmy appears on the left. The other well dressed gentlemen may be some of the “several prominent businessmen” who, according to the invitation from the Post Master General to Jimmy, had also been invited. (I think Jimmy looks quite dapper in his dinner suit!)

I understand that the RFDS 7d stamp is in the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II, a keen philatelist.
The 60th anniversary of the release of this stamp has given me the opportunity to not only highlight the work of the RFDS but also to recognise just one more of Jimmy Lyle’s remarkable accomplishments, of which there were many. James E Lyle was a complex and multi-faceted character who achieved much in his life both personally and through his art. I trust you enjoyed this short tribute to this remarkable and versatile artist, James E Lyle and the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia 7d stamp.
Notes:
* The pre-decimal 7d (penny) = approximately 90cents in today’s money.
** Approximately $3,040 in today’s money.
Hi Sharmaine, just to let you know I posted an update on Jimmy Lyle in February. You can find it here https://wordpress.com/post/saturdayarvothoughts.wordpress.com/4172
Have you had any luck with locating any of his paintings? It is hard to believe they are so hard to find.
Kind regards
Margo
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Thanks for reading my post! Fascinating that you are related to Jimmy. Just wondering which brother was your grandfather. I haven’t been able to establish whether the mural still exists. I am considering contacting the Brisbane GPO for confirmation. I am still working on the next installment (way behind time) and am off to the State Library tomorrow to do some more research and hopefully I will post in the next little while. Thanks so much for contacting me! If you have anything else you would like to share about Jimmy, I would love to hear from you as it all helps to build the picture of this interesting and complex character which was Jimmy Lyle! BTW I have read your other comment re Jimmy climbing the Matterhorn and painting it as well. I do hope we come across some of his paintings. I will let you know if I do!
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I just came across this as I was trying to google if the Mural was still in the boardroom of the GPO. Thanks for the info as James E Lyle known as Uncle Jimmy. He is my Grandfather’s Brother. My Mum worked with him in NZ.
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Thank you for taking the time to read some of my posts and for your kind comments! I am in the process of preparing another post on Jimmy Lyle which I hope will be out soon. Happy New Year to you too!
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You convey such interesting facts! The stamps themselves are works of art 🙂 Thanks for sharing and for stopping by my blog and checking it out! Happy New year 🙂
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Thanks for reading my post! I am glad you enjoyed it. I tried to look at your blog but it just goes back to my blog. Not sure what the problem is. You might be interested in my latest post. Check out https://saturdayarvothoughts.wordpress.com/2017/12/02/mona-may-holbeck-a-life-lived/
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Enjoyable post… very… May I invite you to have look at my posts on Israeli stamps… https://wordpress.com/view/israelstampsblog.wordpress.com
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I’ll be sure to watch out for it. I’m woefully lacking in Australian History! 🙂
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Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Your comments are much appreciated. Jimmy is such an interesting and complex character. The more I research the more interesting it gets. Hopefully, I will be posting again soon. Thanks again for your interest.
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That was a very interesting read. The RFDS was, and still is a magnificent service; we are such a huge country, it’s really the only practical way to get about.
So many highlights here. I love the large mural Jimmy created; it really is ‘history’ on a wall. You have a wonderful collection, and must be very proud to be linked to something that is still today so highly respected and valued.
A wonderful tribute indeed.
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Nice to hear that life is going on for you too! I hope to hear soon 😉
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I’m ok, thanks. Just oovertaken by the busyness of life for the last little while. Hope to post in the next few days. Thank you so much for your interest and concern!
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I hope you are ok! I waited for a post on 21st of September. I don’t know why, but I saw that you been posting on the 21st of every month 🙂 Can’t wait!
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Thanks again, Ilze. I really enjoy researching my family history especially when it intersects with history. It provides not only context but a personal perspective on larger historical events. I value your opinion as I am a big fan of your blog and your amazing daily achievements.
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I did, I also read the linked post about lost art cause I’m new to your blog. It’s amazing how you find/know/ remember all the facts and history! It’s great job to doing research and write about your family history!
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Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
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Amazing!
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