Vexillology in the News!

The city of Duncan, British Columbia, is going to be getting a new flag. But most people won’t know what it looks like until it is unveiled March 4, 2012, during the city’s centennial celebration. (Old joke: What’s the difference between a European and a North American? A European thinks 100 kilometers is a long way, and a North American thinks 100 years is a long time.)

Anyway, there’s an article (dated October 19, 2011 – yeah, I’m running a little behind, but it’s been a busy last half of the year for us) in the on-line BCLocalNews.com website, discussing how Councillor Sharon Jackson has overseen, or some might think, ramrodded through, the design of the city’s new flag, with very little input from the public. “Stuff designed by 5,000 people is always crap,” she said. And, to a point, I tend to agree with her on that.

However, the story goes on to note that Duncan’s heraldry expert, former Garter Principal King of Arms Sir Conrad Swan - who design Duncan’s coat of arms - wasn’t involved, she explained. In the end, Jackson decided to design the flag herself, one “that represents everything I love about Duncan, and the Cowichan Valley,” she said.

Fellow Councillor Paul Fletcher didn’t like the process followed, even if it didn’t cost a lot of money. “I’m not happy with a flag that’ll last us 100 years, and probably deserved public input. I don’t need the secrecy of the unveiling,” he said. “For the centennial committee to appoint themselves the designers, I don’t like that.”

You can read the full story on-line at http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/132202663.html  Or you can just wait until next March, and see what design Ms. Jackson and the city’s centennial committee have come up with.