Last modified: 2015-06-22 by ian macdonald
Keywords: the hills | hill | boomerangs | baulkham hills shire council | wattle | oranges | stars: southern cross (white) |
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The Hills Shire is a large local government area north-western Sydney,
stretching from Oatlands and Baulkham Hills in the south to Wiseman's
Ferry on the Hawkesbury River in the north. It was proclaimed in 1906 as
Baulkham Hills Shire.
Jonathan Dixon, 29 December 2008
The shire was still known as Baulkham Hills when I saw the flags displayed on the council offices in Castle Hill in July this year.
One of the flags displayed was a council flag, sky blue with the council seal and logo (I think in black and white). A new logo has been adopted with the name change, but the old one is still visible online on old documents such as this (PDF). It is circular, with a ring containing the words "BAULKHAM HILLS SHIRE COUNCIL" and "1906 NSW". Encroaching onto this ring is a shield (the point between "1906" and "NSW") overlaid with a boomerang (the arms on the other sides of these texts). The boomerang bears the Latin motto In meliora contende, "to strive for better things", with the combined meaning, "the good we do returns to us". The shield contains two blue bend(let)s on white, with a blue crown in the upper sinister, and signifies the Shire's development and loyalty, as encouraged by the early vice regal governors (a French nobleman also gets a mention).
The shield is also overlaid with a kookaburra (on the boomerang), and a waratah (below the boomerang), state emblems of New South Wales. To the left of the shield is a sprig of wattle, the national flower, and to the right, oranges with leaves and flowers. The Hills district was a major orange-growing area in the 19th century, being the home of the first commercially-grown oranges in Australia. The shield and accompanying emblems appear on a back ground of dark blue, forming an area of water below green hills (representing "The Hills" district) and a blue sky containing the five stars of the southern cross. A sailing ship on the water represents the coming of the first settlers from England to Australia.
The flag was flying with a national flag, a state flag and another
national flag.
Jonathan Dixon, 29 December 2008
The name change to The Hills Shire was gazetted on 14 November 2008. While
council minutes suggest that a new seal is required (with the old one
retained as a historical "crest"), I have not been able to find any
positive or negative information about a new flag.
Jonathan Dixon, 29 December 2008
