Coat of arms of Sydney
| Corporate Logo of the City of Sydney | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Details | |
| Armiger | The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of Sydney |
| Adopted | 1908 |
| Crest | anchor |
| Supporters | Aboriginal and Sailor |
| Motto | I take but I surrender |
The Corporate Logo of the City of Sydney was adopted by the City Council in 1996. It includes a graphic artist's "version" of parts of the actual arms.
The blue shield features a crown and anchor, symbols which have long been the working images for Sydney. The white anchor represents Sydney as a port city on Sydney Harbour and the discovery of Australia by a naval officer. The gold masoned mural crown, common in many Commonwealth municipal arms, denotes the power and authority of a city.
The upper division of the shield features simplified versions of the three emblems in the upper part of the previous coat of arms, which together represent the naming of Sydney, the British contribution to Sydney's establishment and Sydney's emergence as a port city. The leftmost, with three white shells and a blue chevron on a gold background, is based on part of the arms of the man for whom the city was named, Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney. Townshend played an important role as Principal Under-Secretary of State when Sydney was founded in 1788.
The central emblem, a blue cross on white overlaid with a yellow circle, was originally the red cross of the flag of England, which is also a significant feature of British Naval Flag, acknowledging the contribution of Captain Arthur Phillip. The yellow circle represents the globe which was a principal feature of the arms granted posthumously to Captain James Cook, the naval officer who discovered the east coast of Australia.
The top right emblem, containing three white lion heads and a blue chevron with a curved upper edge, is based on the arms of the first Lord Mayor of Sydney, Thomas Hughes, who first suggested that the city obtain a grant of arms.
The shield is supported by a serpent and a coiled rope. The serpent, in blue with white and gold markings, represents the Rainbow Serpent, a creator-being said to have formed the landscape in the Dreamtime as it travelled through the country. Its markings are based on those used by the Eora people, who lived in the area on which Sydney was founded. The rope continues the maritime imagery, and symbolises the diverse origins of the people of Sydney. The rope and serpent are intertwined, representing cultural harmony.
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