JG_Flags_Canada_NZ_Australia.docx

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Flagging a Change and Waving the Flag
John Gough – Deakin University (retired) – [email protected]
Published as: Gough, J. 2017. "Flagging a Change and Waving a Flag", Vinculum, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 20-21.
The Canadian flag – known as the Canadian Red Ensign used to look like this.

The design is based on the British Union Flag in the top-left quarter, with the shield of the Coat of Arms of Canada across the right-hand-side of the flag. The four upper-sections of the coat of arms are each an emblem of the first four provinces of Canada. They derive directly from elements of the English coat of arms, which has a fascinating history of its own.
What are the first four Canadian provinces?
What is a coat of arms?
What are these heraldic emblems?
What is an ensign?
In fact the Canadian Red Ensign was never the official Canadian flag. But it was often used to distinguish Canada from Great Britain. This was necessary precisely because the official Canadian flag used to be the British flag! Confusing, to say the least! (It certainly confused angry Egyptians during the Suez Crisis of 1956, in which Britain was one of the belligerent nations acting against Egypt, and Canada was one of the international peace-keepers. But perhaps that is another story, …)
Since 1967, confusion has been eliminated, when Canada officially adopted the distinctive, and unique Maple Leaf flag.

(Of course, to understand this flag as "Canadian", it helps to be familiar with a red 11-pointed three-segmented autumnal maple leaf, albeit, geometrically stylised, and to accept that the autumn-red leaf of a Canadian maple tree – which also connects, conceptually, with maple syrup – IS a suitable national visual motif for Canada.)
The New Zealand national flag is (currently, in 2015) this.

It is based on a British Blue Ensign (a naval flag), with the British Union Jack in the top-left quadrant (is that the correct flag-term? should it be "quarter"? or should the word be "canton"? – this is a technical flag-term meaning the "top inner corner" of a flag, with the mast at the left-hand side, and the "hoist" at the top-left corner), and a stylised five-pointed image of four of the stars of the Southern Cross constellation across the right-hand half of the flag, outlined in white, and filled in red.
What is the Southern Cross constellation?
What is a constellation?
What is a pentangle?
Many people (especially New Zealanders) think the New Zealand flag is similar, indeed, arguably, TOO similar to the Australian flag.

How are the national flags of Australia and New Zealand DIFFERENT?
How are they the SAME?
The British Union Flag commonly known as the Union Jack – has a fascinating story of its own. It traces the historical development of the United Kingdom by combining the red upright + of Saint George, the patron saint of England, and the white diagonal X (a "saltire") of Saint Andrew (on a blue background), the patron saint of Scotland. A design element for Ireland, also features in the Union Jack. How? (But what about Wales? Perhaps that is another story, …) Note that the Union Jack has some symmetrical features, but also some asymmetrical features. The upside-down version of the flag, and the right-to-left mirror-image of the flag, are NOT spatially identical to (geometrically congruent with) the standard left-to-right, right-way-up version of the Union Jack. Why? (Or, how?)
Many former British Empire, and later British Commonwealth countries deliberately included the Union Jack in their own national flags.
Which other countries? When? Where? Why?
Traditionally, many flags are oblong (non-square rectangles), and the designs are created by using the quarters in different ways. This reflects the technical processes of Medieval heraldry, as a shield or coat of arms is halved, and quartered (and so on), to add extra features or emblems. What are the technical proportions of length-to-width for most flags?
Other, more historically recent flags are designed using thirds, either horizontally – as with the relatively early red-white-and-blue horizontal bands (or "fesses") of the Dutch flag or vertically – as with the later Tricoleur of the French Republic. When, and where, did red, white and blue emerge as a major colour-combination for flags?
More recently, some flags use a single diagonal – as in the flag of Papua New Guinea, with a yellow Bird of Paradise (which species?) in one red triangular half, and a white five-pointed five-starred version of the Southern Cross in the black triangular half.

Other countries have less traditional designs. For example:

Seychelles Burundi Czech Republic
New Zealanders are currently (writing late in 2015) preparing for a national survey or vote on competing designs for a possible NEW national flag. The search for a new flag design has prompted New Zealanders to think of possible national emblems, such as the Kiwi (although that did not appear on the FIVE currently officially considered contenders), and the Black tree fern, in different representations.


All of this raises, again, the question of possible changes to the Australian flag. Importantly, should it retain the historically significant British Union jack?
What would YOU design, or choose? And, why?
Have you seen the unorthodox abstract pictorial "Down Under" flag designed in 1986 by Friedensreich Hundertwasser (an émigré Austrian artist and architect who resettled in New Zealand)? This shows Uluru positioned with Australia holding the Earth from down under.

Or consider Australian artist, Ken Done's simple 1994 design, a golden Southern Cross on a blue field.

What could make an Australian flag distinctly, visually, Australian? A Qantas-type kangaroo? Or should a flag be a distinct visual representation of the "idea" of a nation?
Consider the winning entry of the Ausflag 2000 flag design competition, a blue field with the Southern Cross in the fly and a large gold Commonwealth star in the canton. (Similar designs replace blue with green.) What makes this "Australian"?

Or consider the "visual story" of the 2004 Southern Cross and Boomerang design of Fred Rieben, which shows Australia as SKY, SEA, BEACH and BUSH: "The boomerang is uniquely Australian. It is tool weapon and musical instrument representing technology, science and art. The Southern Cross is the constellation of our nation. It is the states, the constitution, our democracy and our dreams. Our colours are green and gold. Green is the environment – plants and animals, the air, the water, the land. Gold is the economy – industry, commerce, mining and agriculture. Southern Cross and Boomerang is a harmony with green and gold". (Ancient Egyptians also used curved throwing sticks, however!)

Or consider the 2015 Advance Australia design by Charles Gregory. This shows the traditional sporting colours of green and gold, with the blue from the current flag in a shape resembling an abstract boomerang, and forward progress and unity.

Or consider the Channel 9 "A Current Affair" competition winner designed by David Couzens in 1993.

Or the 2000 design by George Margaritis, voted second prize in the Ausflag Professional Design Competition and voted as the People's Choice in an internet poll.

Traditionally a national flag identified – the country and its people, waving above its soldiers marching to war, or on the masthead of its ships at sea. An embassy in a foreign country flew the national flag to identify the building and its staff. A visiting dignitary's limousine flew miniature flags. Nowadays a national flag is almost equivalent to a product brand-mark – this is Aussie, that is Kiwi, those others are …
Where is the mathematics – or mathematical thinking – in any investigation of flags? Spatial thinking. Geometric concepts. Area. Fractions. Ratios. Classification. Symmetry, asymmetry and reflections. Map-reading. Historical time-lines, … Where does any of this arise in the national ACARA curriculum or AusVELS? I'll leave that as homework, …
References and Further Reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Red_Ensign
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/flags-of-new-zealand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canton_(flag)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Australia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Jack
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Netherlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Papua_New_Guinea
https://www.countries-ofthe-world.com/flags-of-the-world.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Seychelles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Burundi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic
https://www.govt.nz/browse/engaging-with-government/the-nz-flag-your-chance-to-decide/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_proposed_Australian_flags
http://www.flagsaustralia.com.au/newflag.html



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