By CASEY NEILL
THE Dandy Pig tipping his top hat used to welcome traffic to Dandenong from Gippsland.
Now the neon sign will make its mark around the country.
The Gippsland Co-operative Bacon Curing Company relic will feature in a new Australia Post stamp issue celebrating three heritage-listed iconic signs from Australia’s neon advertising golden age.
The Dandy Pig was first erected in the 1950s and doffed his top hat until the Lonsdale Street factory – known locally as Dandy Bacon – closed in 1983.
It was in 1983 placed atop the Dandenong Market, before the site’s redevelopment saw it stored and restored.
The City of Greater Dandenong officially re-instated the Dandy Pig at the Dandenong Market in August 2013 to acknowledge the sign’s social, cultural and historical significance.
When re-launching the sign, Councillor Angela Long shared her memories of one of the first animated signs in the region.
“Knowing we were almost home whenever we passed the pig, and he always seemed to be tipping his hat to welcome us home,” she said.
“The Dandy pig will now be part of Dandenong’s bright future for many years to come.”
Glen Binstead worked at Dandy Bacon for 23 years and was with wife Jan were at the celebration.
“The pig was always an icon as you drove into Dandenong,” Ms Binstead said.
“For everyone from the Gippsland side, the pig was a real icon.”
From 1 September the pig will appear on a $1.40 stamp.
The Skipping Girl Vinegar sign in Abbotsford will feature on a 70 cent stamp, as will the Pink Poodle from Surfers Paradise in Queensland.
Australia Post philatelic manager Michael Zsolt said the signs had been preserved for future generations to enjoy.
“Today we are more conscious of the visual value of our historic neon signs,” he said.
The Signs of the Times stamp issue will be available from 1 September.
