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Royal District Nursing Service Limited, Victoria (Australia)

image provided by Ralph Kelly for identification, 31 May 2020

Description of the flag

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Description

I was recently asked to identify some flags for the Victorian Maritime Centre. A photo of one flag that I could not identify is attached. It includes the Rod of Asclepius, a winged wheel and two arms in a hand-shake. These suggest that it relates to a hospital, medical association or even something like an association of retired ambulance officers. The style of the drawing suggest it might have a grant of arms, but there is nothing in Charles Low’s Roll of Australian Arms. It is almost certainly an Australian entity.
Ralph Kelly, 30 May 2020

An Australian heraldry contact has been able to identify the coat of arms for me - it is the Royal District Nursing Service Limited. With the name, the elements of the design start to make sense, even the crown and the hands shaking. This was founded in1885 as the Melbourne District Nursing Society and it was granted the royal prefix in 1966 and it received a grant of arms in 1970. In 2015 it merged with RSL Care and in August 2017 the merged entity was renamed Bolton Clarke.
Ralph Kelly, 31 May 2020