General News
21 May, 2025
Photographer gets stamp of approval
A PHOTOGRAPHER from Lake Eacham has recently been honoured with having one of his photos of a rare bird used by Australia Post on a stamp.
Angus Emmott managed to capture the elusive grey falcon, the rarest of falcons found in Australia, and his photos were used by the Australia Post as part of their ‘Australian Raptors - Birds of Prey’ stamp issue.
Compared to others who spend years trying to spot the bird, Mr Emmott was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime after one decided to land in a tree at his old home near Longreach around four years ago.
“The grey falcon itself is the rarest falcon in Australia, and it occurs mainly in the very arid parts of Australia,” Mr Emmott said.
“They’re sort of the holy grail for a lot of bird watchers. But I was lucky enough to live in a part of the world that they also lived in, and they used to nest at our place.”
The opportunity to have his photos used in the stamp issue came about after one of his friends heard Australia Post was looking for photos of grey falcons and recommended they contact Mr Emmott.
“The two particular photos that they used were both taken in our garden. The bird flew in and landed in the big tree, so I got some photos of it sitting there and I got some flight shots as well,” he said.
“I didn’t have to travel very far to photograph it, whereas other people spend years driving around inland Australia trying to find them.
“I’ve never had a photo on a stamp before, so it was nice to get one out there on the front of letters.”
Mr Emmott photographed the rare bird on his old cattle station, Noonbah Station, about 130km southwest of Longreach.
“It was a pretty neat place to grow up. I spent all my life there and there was always lots of wildlife, so it was very easy to indulge my passion for photography living in that part of the world,” he said.
“I’ve always been heavily into natural history, and I’ve been a photographer for pretty much my whole life.
“As soon as I had enough money when I was a little fella, I bought my first camera and I’ve been taking wildlife photos ever since.”
But after deciding it was time to retire, he and his wife made the move to Lake Eacham, where they’ve spent the past three years.
“I sold the station to my brother, who has a couple of sons who are keen to take it over,” he said.
“Then we moved up to Lake Eacham, where it’s cooler, greener and wetter,” he laughed.
Mr Emmott was pleased that his photo on the stamp could help educate Australians.
“One of the reasons getting photos of rare Australian wildlife out on stamps is it’s a really good education process,” he said.
“And it makes everyday Australians learn about some of the wonderful animals we have in our country, and how important it is to look after them.”
To view the ‘Australian Raptors - Birds of Prey’ stamp issue, visit www.australiapostcollectables.com.au/stamp-issues/australian-raptors-birds-of-prey.
