Bruce Henderson (philatelist) explained

Bruce Ronald Henderson, also known as Bruce Grenville and Martin Renwick (born 1950), is a New Zealand anarchist, hoaxer and producer of artistamps. He is particularly known for the creation of the fictional Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno.

Early life

Bruce Henderson was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1950.

Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno

In the 1970s and 1980s he gained notoriety for a hoax involving the fabrication of the utopian Sultanate State of Occussi-Ambeno, located as an exclave on the Island of Timor, with himself as the self-proclaimed Sultan.^[1] Stamps were produced for the "Sultanate".^{[2] [3]}

Doctor Who

In January 1999, he came to notice for the discovery of a long missing 1965 original episode of the BBC television series Doctor Who, discovered in a garage sale in Napier.^[4]

Selected publications

• "Voyages to Imaginary Countries" in Artistamps Francobolli D'Artista, James Warren Felter (Ed.), AAA Edizioni, Bertiolo, Italy, 2000.
• Web site: Lloyd . Charles . The 2005 South Kasai stamp issues and the activities of their colourful creator . Dundee & District Philatelic Society . https://web.archive.org/web/20221111014347/http://www.dundeephilatelic.org/Articles/2005_South_KASAI.pdf . 11 November 2022.

Further reading

• Bruce Grenville and the Utopian State of Occussi-Ambeno
• Boraman, T. (2007) Rabble Rousers and Merry Pranksters: A History of Anarchism in Aotearoa/New Zealand from the Mid-1950s to the Early 1980s. Christchurch: Katipo Books and Irrecuperable Press.

Notes and References

1. Hayward. Philip. November 2019. Oecusse and the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno: Pranksterism, misrepresentation and micronationality. Small States & Territories. 2. 2. 183–194.
2. https://www.angelfire.com/country/mevu/Geir-article-on-BRH.pdf "Long Live The Sultan! The World and Stamps of Bruce R. Henderson"
3. "Newsdesk", Gibbons Stamp Monthly, Vol. 63, No. 8 (January 1990), p. 6.
4. "Only Chance to See Doctor Who Episode." The Press (Christchurch), 13 April 1999.