The coat of arms

The Coat of Arms was granted on 19 November 1963 by the Chester Herald, College of Arms, London. Council received it at a special meeting held after the official opening ceremony for the new Ryde Civic Centre on 15 August 1964.

The design was based on suggestions made by members of the Ryde Historical Society (Messrs Stacey, McCulloch, Trevitt and Henry) and Mr M C I Levy with, ‘every item in the design … carefully selected and bears reference to the district once known as the granary of the colony of NSW and later as the huge industrial and residential district it is today’.

The Coat of Arms was set into the floor of the ground floor foyer opposite the main doors and was also cast in metal and erected on the external face of the building over the main doors. When the Civic Hall and Library were built in 1970 a coloured version of the Coat of Arms was included on the latter’s façade.

The marine

The figure on the left is a marine. In January, 1792 eight marines were granted land on the northern shores of the Parramatta River between Sydney and Parramatta. Two of those grants fall within the modern day boundaries of the Ryde Local Government Area, being the grants to Isaac Archer and John Colethread. As Mars was the Roman God of War, those grants were called the Field of Mars grants. In 1804 a large tract of land across the northern part of the modern day local government area was set aside as a Common. This was called the Field of Mars Common.

The colonist

The figure on the right represents a colonist. In February, 1792 grants of land were made to ex-convicts in the vicinity of the modern day Ryde Bridge. They included William Careless and James Weavers. These grants were referred to as the Eastern Farms grants. 

Placing the figures of the marine and settler on either side of the shield represents the pioneers at the Field of Mars on the west and at Eastern Farms or Kissing Point on the east. 

The rising sun

The rising sun recalls this name: Eastern Farms as the area was east of Rose Hill (Parramatta). Eventually the area became known as Kissing Point. ‘Kissing’ is a nautical term: at that point in the river (Kissing Point) the hull of a boat would touch or ‘kiss’ the shelf of rock.

The blue seahorse 

The blue seahorse depicted on the crest is taken from the crest of Ryde on the Isle of Wight in England. Rev. George Turner was the minister at St Anne’s Church from 1839 until 1869. His wife Mary Turner nee Jacobs came from Ryde on the Isle of Wight. When the land near St Anne’s was being sub-divided in 1841 a new name for the area was sought. A contemporary plan showed, ‘the village of Ryde, Kissing Point’.

Waratah

Above the seahorse is a slip of waratah. This is the State flower of New South Wales and it also appears in Ryde’s mayoral chain.

The golden cogwheel

The golden cogwheel between the seahorse’s legs denotes industry and its resultant wealth.

The waterways

In the upper portion of the shield the vital and important waterways of Ryde are heraldically represented by blue and white wavy bars. This symbolises the importance of the rivers such as the Parramatta River to the development of industry, as a means of transport and for recreation.

The green field

The green field or background of the shield refers to the rural aspect of the early district and the silver chevron signifies Ryde’s residential area.

Pair of red dividers

On the chevron is a pair of red dividers denoting planning in general and alluding to Ryde Council’s Housing Scheme which operated at the end of the Second World War. Between 1945 and 1952 a total of 599 houses were built by Council itself and a further 360 were built under the Ryde loan scheme. The scheme helped Ryde win a local government award in 1946 for its ‘outstanding enterprise and truly amazing efforts in the betterment of its area’.

Cornucopia or horn of plenty

The cornucopia or Horn of Plenty and symbolises the district’s produce. 

Two golden apples

Two golden apples are symbols of Ryde’s orchards and market gardens and the wealth derived from them, as well as being a direct reference to the famed Granny Smith apple. Maria Ann Smith, her husband Thomas and children arrived in NSW in 1838 on the Lady Nugent. On her farm in Eastwood a seedling grew from the remains of some French crab apples grown in Tasmania. This was the origin of the Granny Smith Apple.

The grassy mound

All of the features rest upon a grassy mound on which is set a scroll bearing the motto, ‘Progress through endeavour.’