Five of Australia’s most generous and respected philanthropists will join the exclusive ranks of great Australians to feature on postage stamps in their own lifetime.

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, Victor Smorgon AC and Loti Smorgon AO, Lady (Mary) Fairfax AC OBE and Frank Lowy AC have been bestowed the title of 2008 Australia Post Australian Legends and will be immortalised in a stamp series.

Issued each year to coincide with Australia Day, the Australia Post Australian Legends Award recognises great Australians who have made life-long contributions to the development of our national identity and character.

Australia Post Managing Director Graeme John said the 2008 Australia Post Legends were some of the most remarkable and respected Australians in the country.

“Their incredible commitment and long-standing dedication to serving the community, from medicine to science, to arts and education deserves national and widespread recognition,” Mr John said.

“Australia has a long tradition of philanthropy and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, Victor and Loti Smorgon, Lady Fairfax and Frank Lowy have all been inspirational in the way they have dedicated so much to the wellbeing of our community.”

The Australian Legends Award began 11 years ago when for the first time a living person other than a ruling monarch was featured on an Australian stamp.

In its first year, the Australia Post Australian Legends Award was presented to Sir Donald Bradman and since then the list of Australian Legends has included Arthur Boyd, Slim Dusty, Dawn Fraser, Herb Elliott, Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Dame Joan Sutherland, Collette Dinnigan and Barry Humphries, among others. In 2007, the Australian Legends were racing greats, Roy Higgins, John Tapp, Bart Cummings, Bob Ingham, George Moore and the late Scobie Breasley.

This year, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, who is Patron of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and a life governor of the Royal Women's Hospital, has been recognised for her extraordinary support across many sectors. Annually, she supports 110 charitable organisations.

Victor Smorgon, industrialist and philanthropist, has been recognised for his enormous contribution to a wide range of medical and arts institutions in Australia including the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne and the Victorian Arts Centre.

Loti Smorgon has been recognised as one of Australia’s leading arts patrons through her contributions to Australian art galleries including the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

Lady Fairfax has been selected as a recipient of the Australia Post Legends Award following decades of support to a wide range of social and economic activities including medical research, health care, opera and the arts and the preservation of diverse cultural heritage.

As Executive Chairman and co-founder of Westfield, Frank Lowy has been recognised for his generous support of arts, sport, medical education and research. Specifically, he established the Lowy Institute, an independent international policy think tank, and has made significant contributions to building the Lowy Cancer Research Centre at the University of NSW.

The 2008 Australian Legends stamp issue features 4 x 50c stamps, a first day cover and a set of maxicards. A commemorative biography, titled A Lasting Legacy: Legends of Australian Philanthropy, accompanies the stamp issue.

The images for the stamps were taken by internationally acclaimed Australian photographer Peter Brew-Bevan and the stamps were designed by John White from Australia Post.

The Legends stamps and book are available from participating Australia Post outlets or via mail order on 1800 311 794 while stocks last. Overseas customers can purchase on-line at www.auspost.com.au/stamps.