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Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada)

1:2 image by Eugene Ipavec
Source: Canadian City Flags, Raven 18

Bay Roberts
Current Flag
- Design
- Symbolism
- Selection
- Designer
Detail of shield

See also:

Bay Roberts

Bay Roberts began as a fishing settlement for migratory fishermen from the County of Devon (England) and from Jersey. It was officially settled in 1675.

From the town website, one can explore the origin of the name:

The name "Bay Roberts" originated from two sources. One source indicates that it was at first called "Roberts Bay" by the Jersey fishermen, while another source claims that Bay Roberts was at one time a headquarters for pirates and was named "Bay of Robbers."

and one also can find information on the town incorporation itself:

The Town of Bay Roberts was incorporated in 1951 after Premier Joseph Smallwood suggested that if the Town had its own council, it could take care of paving its own roads.

The page also depicts the town shield.

Phil Nelson, 8 December 2005

Current Flag

Text and image(s) from Canadian City Flags, Raven 18 (2011), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright. Image(s) by permission of Eugene Ipavec.

The flag of the Town of Bay Roberts is a horizontal bicolour of light blue over dark blue. At the hoist is a large red pentagon occupying approximately one-third of the flag’s length. The pentagon is nearly rectangular; one side spans the entire hoist and the opposite two sides meet at an angle of nearly 180 degrees. Within this pentagon is the town emblem, outlined in golden yellow, above a silhouette of a Calpin anchor in dark blue. The town emblem is portrayed as a simple shield, with a horizontal top and sides curved in a “U”. Surrounding it is a red border, across the top is BAY ROBERTS NFLD and wrapped around the bottom is INC 1951, all in dark blue serif letters. The shield itself is divided diagonally from upper left to lower right. The upper right panel is light blue with an oil platform in silhouette featuring a large tower flanked by two tall cranes on its left, all in yellow. The lower left panel is further divided diagonally, from upper right to lower left; the upper part is dark blue with a silhouette of a telegraph key in golden yellow, the lower part is light blue with a two-masted gaff-rigged fishing schooner sailing toward the right, with a dark blue hull, three white sails, and a yellow flag streaming from the top of each mast. The shield is outlined in golden yellow, as is each of its three interior sections.
Scott D. Mainwaring, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Symbolism

According to the flag’s designer, The light blue represents the sky above us; the dark blue the water around and below us; and the red to the side and somewhat in between, represents the Canadian land on which we live and our rich culture. The red also reminds us of those from our town who fought to preserve our freedom and peace. The outline colour represents golden memories of our town and its people and the golden opportunities in store as we look toward a bright future. The Calpin anchor was patented in Canada in 1884 by Thomas Samuel Calpin, a local blacksmith. According to the flag’s designer, it depicts our town’s motto: “proud of the past”, the ingenuity and pride of our predecessors and therefore our rich heritage; and “poised for the future”, the steadfastness and hope in our town for a bright future. In the town emblem, designed by staff of the town council in the early 1980s, the telegraph, fishing schooner, and oil rig represent Bay Roberts’ past, present, and future: The telegraph represents the importance of the Western Union Cable Office located on Water Street. When telegraph communication was at the height of its popularity, the Cable Building (as it is referred to today) was built to provide a necessary link in telegraph communications between Europe and North and South America. The ship signifies the importance of Bay Roberts’ deep, sheltered, and insurable harbour. Today, as in the past, the harbour is instrumental for the economic development and prosperity of the town. The oil rig represents the people’s hope to reap the benefits associated with the oil industry.
Scott D. Mainwaring, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Selection

The town held a flag design contest. The winner received $50 and one of the new town flags.
Scott D. Mainwaring, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Designer

Adam Keeping of Bay Roberts, a middle school student.
Scott D. Mainwaring, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Detail of shield

image by Rob Raeside, 24 June 2011
modified from http://www.bayroberts.com/history.htm

The website at http://www.bayroberts.com/history.htm presents a clear image of the shield used on the flag - framed gold-red-gold, divided into three fields one showing a drilling rig, one a schooner and one a Morse code transmitter.
Rob Raeside, 24 June 2011