The Grant of Arms Committee, formed in December to help garner

public input into the design of a coat of arms for Flamborough, will

soon announce the proposed motto for the new arms.

“We

really appreciate the submissions we received and they will go to the

committee for discussion,” said the group’s chair, Nathan Tidridge,

last week.  Once the committee determines the winning motto, it will be

recommended to Forrest Pass, an Ottawa Herald and specialist in the

area of designing grants of arms.

Last month, students from

all public, separate and private elementary schools in the

Flamborough-Beverly area were invited to participate in a contest to

come up with a motto to represent the area. When the February 3

submission deadline rolled around, only two schools had

responded—Greensville Public and Rehoboth Christian Reformed.

Greensville’s entry was “Hand in Hand We Share This Land,” while

Rehoboth offered three suggestions, “Peace and Love Make Progress,”

“Blessings Flow From Above” and “United Through Love.”

Although

the committee had intended to publish the school entries in the Review

and invite community residents to vote on them, it abandoned that idea

because of the small number of entries. Instead, the committee will

choose the winning entry and announce their decision within the next

few weeks.

Tidridge, who teaches history at Waterdown

District High School, said committee members met in Rockton in early

February and came up with recommendations for various components of the

grant of arms, including the arms, compartment and supporters. A horse

and blue heron were suggested as supporters of the coat of arms because

each can be tied to the area’s history. The horse represents the

importance of agriculture in the area, was an early form of

transportation and plays a significant role at the Rockton Fair and

Flamboro Downs, while the blue heron symbolizes the area’s strong

belief in conservation and is most often seen in water systems such as

the Beverly Swamp, a dominant feature of the region.

As for

the compartment, located at the base of the supporters, the committee

recommends that the horse stand on the escarpment and the blue heron

stand in water symbolizing the Beverly Swamp.

It’s also recommended that purple trilliums, found throughout West Flamborough and Beverly, be depicted in the compartment.

The

arms, forming the central part of the coat of arms, will include a

stream, a maple tree, a coronet érablé (uniquely Canadian crown) and a

peaked line to represent the gabled roof, a prominent architectural

feature in many Flamborough homes.

The crest, which sits on

top of the shield, has been left for Pass to design. The Herald will

now develop a concept proposal for a coat of arms based on the

committee’s recommendations and send it back to the group for review.

Tidridge said the committee will not meet again until the proposal is received. Its next meeting will be in Strabane.