Andrew Houison (1 January 1850 rahs.org.au Retrieved 31 July 2011. – 22 August 1912"Death of Dr. Andrew Houison." in ''
The London Philatelist
''The London Philatelist'' was first published in January 1892 by
philatelist
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...
. He was one of the "Fathers of Philately" and entered the
Roll of Distinguished Philatelists
The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP) is a Philately, philatelic award of international scale, created by the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in 1921. The Roll consists of five pieces of parchment to which the signatories add their n ...
in 1921.
Early life
Houison was born in
Parramatta
Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...
to James and Ann Houison, both from Scotland. His father was a successful builder and architect in Parramatta. Andrew was the youngest of ten children, five girls and five boys. He attended Mr Mills' Briar Cottage Academy in Parramatta and then
The King's School, Parramatta
The King's School is an Education in Australia#Non-government schools, independent Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Pre-school education, early learning, primary school, primary and secondary school, secondary day and boarding school, boardi ...
in 1858. He commenced at
Newington College
, motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge
, location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, pushpin_map = A ...
as a foundation student in 1863 and is number 10 on the roll of students. In 1865 he was the college's first
Dux
''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...
.Newington College Register of Past Students 1863-1998 (Syd, 1999) pp 93 He enrolled at the University of Sydney in February 1866 and gained a BA degree in 1869.
Medical career
Houison continued his education at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
where he graduated in medicine, M.B. Ch.M. (M.Surg). He did post-graduate research in antisepsis with Professor
Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 182710 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventative medicine. Joseph Lister revolutionised the craft of s ...
and was offered a position as Lister's research assistant. Instead, he returned to Sydney where after a period in private practice he became Secretary to the New South Wales Medical Board. He was elected Honorary Physician to the ''Sydney Hospital'' and enjoyed a successful medical career.
Philately
Houison began collecting stamps in about 1865. He was a specialist in the
postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is att ...
of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and was President of both the New South Wales and Australian Philatelic Associations. He was specially commissioned by the Government of New South Wales to produce a history of the Post Office and stamps of the territory which was prepared within a very short period of time and published in 1890.
Australian history
Houison was the founding President of the
Royal Australian Historical Society
The Royal Australian Historical Society, formerly Australian Historical Society, is a voluntary organisation founded in Sydney, Australia in 1901Helen Doyle, "Royal Australian Historical Society" in Graeme Davison, John Hirst and Stuart Maci ...
in 1901, his interest in history being variously attributed to philately, genealogical research in Scotland and his father's work in the development of his home town, Parramatta.
Death
Houison died on 22 August 1912 in Sydney. He was survived by a daughter and two sons. His wife had pre-deceased him.
Selected publications
*''History of the Post Office, together with an historical account of the issue of postage stamps in New South Wales.'' Sydney: C. Potter, Government Printer, 1890.
See also
*
Postage stamps and postal history of New South Wales
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of New South Wales, a former British colony now part of Australia.
Pre-stamp era
New South Wales was the first part of Australia to be settled by Europeans, and the first to operate a p ...