Chas Lilley was the Founding President of the New Zealand Postcard Society from its inception in 1983 through to 1990. He then was Newsletter Editor until 1993, was elected as a Life Member in 2003 and was elected as Patron in 2007. He was a member of the Committee throughout this period. Chas always supported the Society and its members in a myriad of ways. In his professional capacity as a dealer in cards, owning The Stamp Shop in New Plymouth for 33 years, he travelled extensively in Britain and Australia, bringing back cards to excite collectors. Chas had collected cards himself since 1935, with extensive personal collections of cards of Taranaki, Maoris, and of course his beloved London theme.

Chas was involved in nearly every postcard event in NZ, and actively promoted the hobby. He encouraged casual visitors to collect postcards, and looked for cards to fit collectors’ interests.

When the Society succeeded in establishing picture postcards as an exhibiting class within the philatelic framework, Chas was one of the first to qualify as a judge although, of course, he had been involved in judging and appraising displays and exhibits for many years prior to that.

Chas was a regular contributor to the Postcard Society journal ‘Postcard Pillar’, sending in choice items, or writing articles on the interesting highways and byways of the hobby. Members’ collections gained from the help Chas gave, not just in acquiring cards but also through his unrivalled knowledge of cards, the associated photographers or producers, and the methods of production. He was also a great raconteur. Visitors to his shop or his stand at exhibitions and fairs, often spent an enjoyable time listening to stories of his adventures in the search for
postcards. Chas passed away in early 2011.