Australia Post Photo

Photographer’s Note

I saw these mail boxes on a small country road not an uncommon sight but what I noticed with this little group was that amongst them one was painted like the Australian Aboriginal flag.

The Australian Aboriginal flag was originally designed as a protest flag for the land rights movement of Indigenous Australians but has since become a symbol of the Aboriginal people of Australia. The flag is a yellow circle on a horizontally divided field of black and red and was designed in 1971 by Harold Thomas, an Aboriginal artist descended from the Luritja of Central Australia. On 14 July 1995, both the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag were officially proclaimed by the Australian government as "Flags of Australia" under Section 5 of the Flags Act 1953.
The Aboriginal Flag was designed by Harold Thomas, an artist and an Aboriginal, in 1971. The flag was designed to be an eye-catching rallying symbol for the Aboriginal people and a symbol of their race and identity. The black represents the Aboriginal people, the red the earth and their spiritual relationship to the land, and the yellow the sun, the giver of life.

In the late 1960s, Aborigines stepped up their campaign for indigenous land rights through protest marches, demonstrations, banners and posters. The protests increased in the early 1970s and Harold Thomas noticed they were often outnumbered by non-Aborigines with their own banners and placards. He decided they needed to be more visible and the idea of the flag was born.

The Aboriginal flag was first raised in Victoria Square in Adelaide on National Aboriginal Day in 1971, but was adopted nationally by Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in 1972 after it was flown above the Aboriginal "Tent Embassy" outside of the old Parliament House in Canberra.

gunbud, alftrek, phwall, siamesa, holmertz, jhm, JPlumb, bobocortis, trekks, marion44, Kielia, jaywalker, gracious, jusninasirun, paura, paololg, marcan44, zeca, edal, COSTANTINO, bj40 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

phwall (5422) 2008-06-09 0:09

Hi Santo,
I love it. This shot really shows off Australian ingenuity, I need a post box, what can I use, milk cans, jerry cans, whatever. Its a great example of showing off the true charecter of Australians. Tell the story with a picture. The light is glorious and the framing is perfect. Well done.
Peter

siamesa (12419) 2008-06-09 1:02

Hi Santo,
Very interesting picture and a very good note about Aboriginal flag. A original photo, really.
Regards
Maria

pablominto (39918) 2008-06-09 1:11

Hello Santo,

This seems to be near the middle of nowhere, I wonder where all those people live..!
Interesting scene, seems like everything can serve as a mailbox...
Good documentary, fine details!

Greetings,
Pablo -

holmertz (9284) 2008-06-09 2:14

Hello Santo,
An amusing and interesting picture with a very educational note. I can just imagine how each mail subscriber has thought carefully how to find the most peculiar letter box that would astound the neighbours.
A colourful and unusual picture, just right for TE.
Best wishes,
Gert

wolf38 (12493) 2008-06-09 2:31

Hello santo. Typically Australian. The collection of these individual mail boxes is absolutely worth seeing. As it seems, each Australian is an inventor and a technical designer. You caught this motive exemplary with your camera. Best regards, Wolfgang.

jhm (81687) 2008-06-09 3:38

Hello Santo,

You found a excellent image with all the postboxen.
All with a other outlook, totally otherwise than here in Belgium.
Good composition and nice presentation too.
Very well done.

Best regards,
John.

JPlumb (3153) 2008-06-09 4:53

Hey Santo, this is a great "classic" shot of these mailboxes. I haven't seen a rural scene such as this one here, so this is great. I like use of these various containers for mail receipt. Very innovative. The shot itself shows all of this very well. The composition with this line of "boxes" works well. Contrasts and colour seen in the shot are excellent. How's the ear??

Thanks, John

bobocortis (14114) 2008-06-09 7:05

Hi Santo.
These mail boxes taken in perspective are wonderful.
Nice picture well detailed and sharpened.
Well done.
Best regards.
Bobo.

trekks (14260) 2008-06-09 7:24

hi Santo

I must say you have written a useful Note which really gives me a good idea of the Aboriginal flag and its history. I have not seen it before, nor have I been to Australia. But this mailbox cluster is well captured through your observant attention to details. I can see such variety of mailbox sizes and shapes through your photo, which are used not just for mail, sometimes for newspapers and parcels too.

I can see one mailbox which may collect rain water easily, another (the flag one) tilted down with a partial cover at top to avoid rainwater. Interesting.

It reminds me of Canada Post and the mailboxes (though not as creative as these here) along the rural roads in Eastern Canada, such as 1457 Lincoln Road, RR#1 (Rural Road) where I used to stay. The mailbox is a part of daily life where we really look forward to mail especially in the winter when we were "snowed in" (those days no internet, everything by post), although other seasons we would be able to get down to PostOffice to collect mail.

Great post, Santo, brings back memories.

TFS, bill

marion44 (4222) 2008-06-09 9:31

Hi Skippy,
Hey ! I posted OZ mailboxes as well
there. They are so funny ! But yours are definitly better as your POV is good and the textures and colors are great. Thanks for your highly interesting note,
Marion

Kielia (8183) 2008-06-09 11:26

Hello Santo!
I like the way you use the light in your composition. The story behind your photo is a very good example for the spirit of TE.
TfS!
Kind regards
Harriet

Miha2ou7 (4887) 2008-06-09 13:56

Hey Santo,

Ha, a great picture. The colors are well saturated, with a wide selection of `em. The rusty textures make an attractive sight. A bit different, but well worth publishing.

P.S: I met this great Australian backpacker the other day. We got into a hell of a conversation, too bad I can`t remember all of it .. too many beers between us, you see. :>

Best regards.

alftrek (2703) 2008-06-09 17:24

Hello Santo,

Interesting subject indeed! All sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, from purpose designed to improvised letter boxes. You observed these things really well. Excellent capture at low POV, great exposure with tremendous clarity in details despite in the shade. The sun light filtering thru to the FG grass gives a good change of colour.

Looks like our friend in Sydney has got a pretty good idea who was with the Rosellas in my latest posting.

Best regards
Alfred

gunbud (27533) 2008-06-09 18:03

Hi Santo,
Love these colorful imaginative mail boxes. Very clear colors and excellent details to these beauties. Very informative note about the plight of Austuralia's native people.
Regards, Tom

gracious (20017) 2008-06-10 1:49

Hello Santo,
Excellent note which is informative and useful! many thanks
as for the images, very impressive to see all sort of style in mail box in the country side!
very nice colour and good sharpness
well done
TFS
Tony

SteveH (3857) 2008-06-10 2:19

Hi Santo, Great collection of letter boxes! the DOF just right to ensure that they are all sufficiently sharp. well seen. BTW I got bitten too by a rosella, but on my finger, which I reckon is much less sensitive than an ear, but still an ouch. the unexpected hazards of photography. cheers, Steve

jaywalker (12186) 2008-06-10 2:19

Hi Santo, Its a superb daily life picture, the colours are so vivid & the detail razor sharp, these are the most interesting mail boxes I’ve ever seen, your POV is perfect showing them on the angle, TFS the picture & the note, kind regards Wilson.

Clementi (42865) 2008-06-10 3:08

Ciao Santo,
nice mail box parade. interesting see the person's fantasy in doing the its .
interesting the note very much
nice work
Giorgio

jusninasirun (10074) 2008-06-10 8:24

Hello Santo. Thanks for sharing this excellent image. I like the creativity of the folks here in making their mailboxes with different shapes and colors. Good perspective with excellent exposure complemented by useful notes. Regards. Jusni

paura (37792) 2008-06-10 12:46

Santo,
An interesting photo to show this y]umcommon place. The composition and the pov are nice.

Abraço

Paulo

dvlazar (6468) 2008-06-10 20:55

Clever shot of these mailboxes all lined up together. They are each quite unique and full of character!
Well done...
Dave

fabio_ts (13672) 2008-06-10 23:50

Ciao Santo, a really curious photo here, lovely and funny mailboxes, and nice picture too with good perspective and well composed, compliments!!

have a great day,
Fabio.

marietom (31772) 2008-06-11 9:44

hello Santo,

I like them a lot, what amazing they are ! Your picture is nice !
Bonne journée
Marie

paololg (13172) 2008-06-11 15:09

Ciao Santo,
la fantasia umana non ha limiti, e questa curiosa e bella immagine è la prova. Una foto eseguita molto bene con una bella luce che filtra tra gli alberi.
Ciao
Paolo.

marcan44 (3183) 2008-06-12 14:29

ciao santo ben trovato,
molto bella questa foto e soprattutto molto originale il taglio che hai dato alla foto.
La definizione e risoluzione è eccellente e mi piace il raggio di luce che è filtrato tra gli alberi e illumina l'erba. E' un particolare che rende molto viva la foto.
Ciao
Buona serata
Mario

edal (6553) 2008-06-12 22:26

Hello Santo!
It's a very interesting and educational story - both photographic and narrative. Despite the difficult contra-light condition, the image is very detailed and well colored.
Friendly,
Anton

zeca (20026) 2008-06-13 12:21

The men and its creative works! Lol! Great ideas, Santo! Its a very interesting post, showing nice quality and this funny creations.
Regards,
Zeca

COSTANTINO (22181) 2008-06-15 2:02

Hi SANTO,
i Like very much this traditional photo that brings memories
to everybody of us...Very interesting photo,original version,
light is glorious the framing is perfect...
GOOD idea,nice photo well done
Costantino

giorgimer (20674) 2008-06-20 4:17

Hi Santo,

very original view, good composition and POV, nice colors.

TFS

Gio

kschanna (2596) 2008-06-30 4:11

Hello Santo,

Such a clear composition, The colors and light are superb. The low PoV suits this shot.

Thanks for sharing

Regards
Kamran

BLO (180) 2008-09-04 8:22

I love this one :) It's called recycling. Thank you for you distribution to this collection.
I'm making new mailbox for myself.
Great composition and lighting.