Last modified: 2015-07-04 by ian macdonald
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image by George Poulos, 12 Nov 2009
I am the creator and copyright holder of the Waverley Council Beaches Flag. This flag was adopted by Waverley Council as the official flag for Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama Beaches on the 29th July 1998. It is commonly called the "Bondi Beach Flag".
The flag’s official day of celebration is the day of the Spring Equinox – 23rd September – Rising Sun Day. Its symbolism is 12-fold:
The Australian Sun had been a prime icon in Australian history long before 1971, when Harold Thomas’s Aboriginal flag made us aware of the importance of this prime icon once again. The rising sun was the key signifier for the bush worker – the shearer, stockman, etc, the fons et origo – the originator - of the Australian sense of identity.
Beginning in the 1840’s a Rising Sun adorned many functional everyday items, and objects d’art... [George gives as examples of more use of the emblem the crests of the coats of arms of South Australia, New South Wales, many local governments, including Waverley and Woollahra, the Bank of New South Wales, the badges on the Western Australian and South Australian flags, 19th century Labour banners including the 8-8-8 banner signifying 8 hours work, 8 hours rest and 8 hours recreation, federation symbols, the cricket team coat of arms, and the Army field of bayonets rising sun icon representing the hopes for the new society being formed in Australia.] The Waverley Council Beaches Flag is meant to make us more fully aware that the Australian Sun is the prime icon of not only our own beach’s culture, but the entire nation as well.
The enclosed nature of the beach indicates how protected and relatively safe it is to swim in. It also indicates the very close sense of community that exists around Waverley Beaches.
The red land mass is curved, so that it also connotes a wave breaking onto a shore.
The white line of surf that gets larger as it moves to the fly - indicates how waves build up momentum as they approach the beach.
This flag is now flying on the 25 banner poles along Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach. The display is the longest and largest display of an ensign, not the national flag of Australia, in the history of the country.
Some have indicated that either flag could/should substitute for the current national
flag. Clearly the design brief to represent Bondi, Gallopoli, and
Australian beaches, is far too limited to encompass the Australian
sense of identity. The flag forms the perfect template however, for a
future Australian flag.
George Poulous, contributed 12 November 2009