By Stephen Vance, Staff
The public got its first look at the initial concept drawings for a municipal coat of arms on Monday September 21 during a special input session held at the Meaford Museum.
The drawings, which had been prepared by Bruce Patterson, Deputy Chief Herald of Canada, attempt to bring together representative imagery relating to all areas of the municipality.
The draft drawings includes a shield divided into three sections with a blue background, and two white schooners representing ship building and recreational boating. Also included in the early design for the coat of arms are images of apples, a wind-swept pine tree, two work horses, trillium flowers, and garbs of wheat.
“The work horses evoke the agricultural identity of the municipality. Their wings allude to the crest and one of the supporters of the arms of the Earl of St. Vincent, namely Pegasus, a winged horse of Greek mythology. The municipality was named after Lort St. Vincent’s home in England, Meaford Hall, and the former Town of Meaford used his arms as an emblem. The fern and staghorn sumac represent local flora. The trillium flower indicates that the municipality is located in Ontario. The garb of wheat is taken from the emblem of the Town of Sydenham, and the maple branches around the horses’ necks from that of the Township of St. Vincent,” explained Deputy Chief Herald of Canada, Bruce Patterson, in an information sheet handed out at the input session.
Also included in the design is a motto – Our Heritage, Our Future.
The input session was attended by residents as well as members of council, who discussed design elements, and potential changes to the initial draft design.
A second public input session will be held on Thursday, September 24 from 2-4pm at the Sydenham depot.
All revisions made to the draft drawing will be forwarded to the artist who will prepare a final draft of the new coat of arms.
Newly-elected councillor Tony Bell brought the idea for a new coat of arms to council shortly after the October 2014 municipal election, when he asked if the mayoral chain of office could be revised to include symbols that would represent all three of the former townships which were amalgamated in 2001. At their March 9 meeting, council approved a plan to create a Coat of Arms.
The Coat of Arms is being prepared by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, which is headed by the Governor General. The Coat of Arms will be exclusively used for ceremonial and protocol purposes. The Chain of Office, which is the official insignia of the Corporation of the Municipality of Meaford and worn by the Mayor during council meetings, will be updated once the Coat of Arms is established.
Meaford’s council is hoping that a revamp of the municipal Coat of Arms will send a strong signal that the municipality is serious about the inclusion and unity of all parts of the municipality.
Council will be asked to approve the concept and description in principle at its meeting on September 28.
