by catpaw | 14 Oct, 2025
The first Winnie the Pooh book adventure was published by Methuen (London) on October 14, 1926.
This means the venerable bear will be 100 years old next year.
There are many stamps bearing Winnie’s image, with the UK and Canadian stamps standing out. The Royal Mail release relied on original drawings from Pooh’s first book.
Winnie the Pooh
From Royal Mail’s EUROPA entry for the Children’s Books – Winnie The Pooh series in 2010
Designed by Studio David Hillman
Prior to this excellent set of stamps, Canada Post issued it’s own tribute to the bear, but relied more on the Disney version most are now familiar with. The set was issued for Disney World’s 25th anniversary.
Winnie the Pooh
Issued 1996 by Canada
Designed by Wai Poon
And finally, Japan released their own Winnie the Pooh stamps in 2012, with this cancel being the best of the year. Japan alone has issued over 35 stamps celebrating the honey loving bear and his friends.
In 1926, A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard introduced Winnie-the-Pooh to the world. Yet the bear’s journey into print was a long and circuitous one that crossed an ocean and took a dozen years.
Winnie-the-Pooh’s story begins in White River, Ontario—a railroad town deep in the forest. On August 24, 1914, its small population swelled with soldiers for a few hours during a Canadian Pacific train stopover. Great Britain had entered the First World War earlier that month, and many Canadians answered the call to volunteer. Among the first was Harry Colebourn, a 27-year-old veterinarian from Winnipeg who was travelling with other members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force for six weeks of training at Camp Valcartier in Quebec. Their train stopped to resupply in White River, and Colebourn disembarked with the other men to explore the town.
Most of what we know about his stopover comes from the few words scrawled in his day planner: “Left Pt. Arthur 7A.M. Train all day, Bought Bear $20.” Buying a bear during a layover might sound odd, especially when one realizes this is around $500 in today’s money. Yet regimental mascots were seen as good for morale, so when Colebourn saw a trapper selling a black bear cub, he may have felt it was his patriotic duty to buy it. He named it “Winnie” after Winnipeg.
A playful cub with a sweet tooth, Winnie was a favourite with the troops in Valcartier. In October, she and Colebourn crossed the Atlantic in a ship convoy bound for more training on England’s Salisbury Plain. When Colebourn was about to depart in early December for combat in France, he loaned Winnie to the London Zoo. She swiftly became a crowd favourite and continued to delight a generation of children after she was officially donated to the zoo at war’s end. One of these young admirers was Christopher Robin Milne.
The Story of Pooh | Royal Ontario Museum
Last year featured another literary icon, although not so fluffy and adorable – New Zealand author Katherine Mansfield.
by catpaw | 10 Oct, 2025
World Mental Health Day – October 10.
“Mental health is still a taboo subject in Quebec, more so than sexuality. However, it is important that we talk about it,”
Artist Miriane . Majeau.
Beginning in 1992, the World Federation for Mental Health has pushed for broader acceptance and understanding of mental health. This year’s theme is Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.
Over time, WMHDAY has grown into a self-sustaining global movement. From parades and conferences to street-level advocacy and digital campaigns, millions of people now participate in their own unique ways. Institutions like the World Health Organization and the United Nations have embraced October 10th as a cornerstone of global mental health awareness. The rise of social media amplified our reach exponentially, and in 2019, we unveiled the first official WMHDAY logo-now a lasting symbol of unity and advocacy. That same year, we reached over 10 million people online, a milestone that affirmed WMHDAY’s place as one of the world’s leading mental health awareness days.
The History of World Mental Health Day – World Mental Health Day
The Puzzle
Mental Health
Issued by Canada Post in 2011
Semi-postal
Designed by Anne Tardif, Kosta Tsetsekas, Miriane Majeau and Signals
The Puzzle was the work of Terrebonne, Quebec artist Miriane Majeau. Her work was the winning entry in Canada Post’s first public design contest that saw over 300 entries and 286,000 votes. The issue was part of Canada Post’s time honoured Canada Post Foundation initiative which uses a portion of the sale funds to fund community programs. A dollar from each booklet sale went to the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health.
“I’m very proud that my design connected with people. Dealing with mental health issues can be like putting a puzzle together,” Ms. Majeau noted. “But as the puzzle comes together, as you find the right pieces and connect them in the right way, something beautiful and whole is revealed.”
Ms. Majeau donated her $500 honorarium to La Fondation les petits trésors de l’Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, a mental health charity.
World Mental Health Day serves as a powerful reminder that there is no health without mental health. This year’s campaign focuses on the urgent need to support the mental health and psychosocial needs of people affected by humanitarian emergencies.
Crises such as natural disasters, conflicts, and public health emergencies cause emotional distress, with one in five individuals experiencing a mental health condition. Supporting the mental well-being of individuals during such crises is not just important – it saves lives, gives people the strength to cope, the space to heal and to recover and rebuild not only as individuals but as communities. That’s why it is essential for everyone, including government officials, health and social care providers, school staff and community groups to come together. By working hand in hand, we can ensure the most vulnerable have access to the support they need while protecting the well-being of everyone.
World Mental Health Day 2025
2024 honoured Canadian politician Pierre Laporte, a victim of terrorism.
by catpaw | 16 Aug, 2025
The Klondike Gold Rush is set into motion August 16, 1896 with the discovery of gold in Canada’s Yukon territory.
When out of the night, which was fifty below, and into the din and the glare,
There stumbled a miner fresh from the creeks, dog-dirty, and loaded for bear.
He looked like a man with a foot in the grave and scarcely the strength of a louse,
Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar, and he called for drinks for the house.
The Shooting of Dan McGrew By Robert W. Service
Yukon Gold Discovery 1896
Sookum Jim Mason staked the first claim
Prospectors heading for the Gold fields
Superintendant Sam Steele, North West Mounted Police
Dawson
Extracting Gold
Issued in 1996 by Canada Post for the 100th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush
Designer was Stephen Slipp
You can see more of Stephen’s designs here Canadian stamps by Steven Slipp
Prospectors George Carmack, Dawson Charlie, and Skookum Jim were working sites along the Klondike river when they hit the motherlode at Rabbit Creek (later renamed to Bonanza Creek). It didn’t take long for word to make its way to every corner of the world, attracting over 100,000 men and women, looking to make their fortunes.
Dawson Charlie, also went by the name Tagish Charlie, Sookum’s nephew
Skookum Jim also known as James Mason 1898 photo Image courtesy Archives Canada
It took four years, but the three men hauled out nearly a million dollars worth of gold from their claims. “Success was not kind to them. Carmack abandoned Jim’s sister, leaving her penniless. Tagish Charlie drank and gambled away his money. He drowned in 1908 when he fell off the railway bridge in Carcross.” But Sookum, after years of alcoholism and hard living, made a decision to create a trust titled Skookum Jim Indian Fund which still helps the Indigenous communities in the Yukon.
Taissumani: Sept. 24, 1896 – Skookum Jim Stakes His Claim has a great page on the three prospectors. And don’t forget to read about Sookum Jim’s legacy Skookum Jim Friendship Centre – Celebrating 60 Years in Yukon
Most left knowing little of the journey they would undertake. They followed treacherous routes that involved uncharted landscapes, snow-choked mountain passes and freezing rivers to stake their claim to fortune in the Klondike. Most would need to travel over 5000km to get to Dawson City
Klondike Gold Rush | Dawson City Yukon
Gold seekers chased a romantic dream of returning home with their pockets filled with riches and stories their exploits in the Klondike Gold Rush. But the Yukon was an unforgiving place for tenderfoot prospectors. My great grandfather was one of those thousands. He left the safety of his comfortable home in Hamilton, Ontario for the goldfields dreaming of striking it rich. He travelled with the ill-fated former Mayor of Hamilton. They took ” … the Edmonton route to the Klondike [which] proved a death sentence for [the] former mayor of Hamilton who died of scurvy on the Peel River in 1899, far from the gold fields.”
Great grandfather Harris was one of the lucky ones. He returned, never having set foot in the Klondike. The souvenirs he brought back were the effects from scurvy, health that never recovered and lost toes from frostbite.
by catpaw | 13 Aug, 2025
On August 13, 2005, the first World Organ Donation Day was celebrated.
The Spanish National Transplant Organization organised the day to raise awareness about the need for people to sign organ donation cards. August 13 was picked to honour Dr. Christiaan Barnard, who was born on that day. The theme for 2025 is Answering the Call.
This theme highlights the vital function that professionals play in the organ donation community and calls on them to strengthen their dedication and teamwork to save more lives. In the end, it gives patients and their families hope by honouring their compassion and dedication and acting as a call to action for further progress in organ donation and transplantation.
World Organ Donation Day 2025 – History, Importance and Facts
Organ and Tissue Donation
Issued in 2022 by Canada Post
Designed by Kristine Do
A complimentary initiative to World Organ Donation Day is Green Shirt Day, held April 7. Although on a different day, it holds a very special significance for many Canadians – that’s the day Humboldt Broncos defenceman Logan Boulet’s parents donated his organs. The previous day the young hockey player, with 16 teammates were killed in a horrific crash. The donation meant 6 people were given a new chance at life.
On April 7, 2018, Humboldt Broncos defenceman Logan Boulet succumbed to his injuries. His parents, Bernadine and Toby Boulet offered to donate his organs so that six lives could live on. They did so because Logan told his parents he was registering as an organ donor and that he was inspired by his coach and mentor Ric Suggitt. Ric passed on June 27th, 2017 and was also an organ donor and saved 6 lives.
…
As news spread of the organ donation by this young hockey player, it is estimated that almost 150,000 people registered to become organ donors in the days and weeks that followed. To date, this is the largest number of Canadians registering to become organ donors in Canadian History due to one event – one person.
Green Shirt Day was created to honour, remember, and recognize all the victims and families of that fatal crash and to continue Logan’s legacy by inspiring Canadians to talk to their families and register as organ donors.
About – Green Shirt Day
Since 2017, donation foundations estimate hundreds of thousands of Canadians have signed donation cards. A small act that can have a profound effect on someone’s life.
The 2024 Stamp of the Day featured Pakistan! Pakistan’s National Anthem, Qaumī Tarānāh was played on Radio Pakistan for the first time August 13, 1954.
by catpaw | 21 Jul, 2025
Canadian film director Norman Jewison was born July 21, 1926 in Toronto, Ontario.
Norman Jewison
Issued by Canada Post in 2024
Designer: Russell Gibbs, Russell Gibbs Design
Photographer: Peter Bregg, stamp image
Photographer: Bob Olsen, FDC image
Norman Jewison began his career with the BBC in 1950 and the CBC the following year, 1951 before moving on to a career in Hollywood making films like In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Moonstruck (1987), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), A Soldier’s Story (1984) and The Hurricane (1999). He was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the 1999 Oscars.
Norman Jewison | The Canadian Encyclopedia has a good writeup.
The stamp photo was taken by Peter Bregg for HELLO! Canada’s coverage of Canadian Film Centre in 2007. The photo on the FDC and the background of the booklet inside, was Bob Olsen for the Toronto Star in 1979. Jewison was involved in picking the photos for this stamp prior to his death on January 2024.
Last year’s SOD. Warsaw’s 700th Anniversary, was suggested by a reader. Have special day you’l like to see as a stamp of the day? Send me a message.
