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Nanaimo, British Columbia
Grant of Arms, Supporters, Flags and Badge
September 15, 2010
Vol. V, p. 550
Arms of Gen-Find Research Associates, Inc.BlazonOr a spiral of two bars Azure, overall an arbutus tree eradicated Gules; SymbolismYellow, blue, and red are the corporate colours of Gen-Find Research Associates, Inc. The blue spiral evokes a Watson-Crick Double Helix – the basic structure of DNA – and therefore symbolizes bloodlines as a chain linking generations. In its colour and position, the spiral also alludes to the personal coat of arms of the company’s founder, Brian W. Hutchison, which features a blue fess charged with three bezants. The arbutus tree represents genealogical research, the company’s principal service, and is indigenous to Vancouver Island, where Gen-Find’s corporate headquarters are located. With its roots below the blue spiral and its branches above it, it also signifies the persistence of family ties across space and time. |
CrestBlazonIssuant from arbutus branches a ship of three masts proper; SymbolismThe ship represents the experience of migration that typifies the family history of most Canadians. In the mythology of the Coast Salish people of Vancouver Island, survivors of a great flood moored their canoes to the upper branches of the arbutus. The positioning of a European-style ship in the leaves of the tree thus symbolically fuses Old- and New-World traditions. |
MottoBlazonLUATHAICH SINN DO SHAOGHAL NUADH; SymbolismThe Gaelic sentence LUATHAICH SINN DO SHAOGHAL NUADH, meaning “We hastened to a new world,” emphasizes the importance of migration to the company’s work. |
MottoBlazonHONOUR THE PAST • EMBRACE THE FUTURE; SymbolismThe Motto is an invitation to the celebration of past, present and future history. |
SupportersBlazonDexter a merman proper queued Azure, his beard and hair Argent, wearing a wreath of fleurs-de-lis and roses Gules and holding an hour glass Or, sinister a mermaid proper queued Azure wearing a wreath of maple leaves Gules and holding a compass rose Or, both issuant from barry wavy Azure and Argent; SymbolismMermaids and mermen represent the idea of seaborne migration and new beginnings, already suggested by the crest. The white-haired and bearded merman, with his crown of roses and fleurs-de-lis, represents the Old World, while the youthful mermaid, with her crown of maple leaves, represents the New. The hour glass and compass-rose signify time and space respectively. |
Flag of Gen-Find Research Associates, Inc.BlazonA banner of the Arms; SymbolismThe symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record. |
Flag of Gen-Find Research Associates, Inc.BlazonA standard, the Arms in hoist, the fly Argent charged with the Crest between two representations of the Badge all separated by two bends Gules inscribed LUATHAICH SINN DO SHAOGHAL NUADH in letters Or; SymbolismThe symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record. |
Badge of Gen-Find Research Associates, Inc.BlazonOn a bezant edged with rope compony Azure and Gules an arbutus branch Gules enfiling a mascle Azure; SymbolismThe mascle echoes the double helix motif of the shield, and the rope edging alludes to the ship in the crest and to family ties persisting over generations. |
BackgroundCanada Gazette InformationThe announcement of the letters patent was made on March 26, 2011 in Volume 145, page 1076 of the Canada Gazette.  |
Additional InformationCreator(s)Original concept of Forrest Pass, Saguenay Herald, assisted by the heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority. PainterIlona Jurkiewicz CalligrapherShirley Mangione Recipient TypeCivil Institution |