Arms of Gary Allan Mitchell
Arms of Gary Allan Mitchell
Blazon
Gules fretty semé of billets Argent and keys Or;
Symbolism
Red and white are the national colours of Canada and of Poland, the ancestral land of the family of Mr. Mitchell’s mother. The interlaced pattern of white bands is a reference to a gridiron, the traditional symbol for St. Lawrence, patron saint of archives, thus referring to Mr. Mitchell’s position as provincial archivist of British Columbia. The narrow white rectangles symbolize documents and boxes of historic files, underlining the reference to archives. The keys represent two main aspects of archival science, stewardship of historic records and the unlocking of knowledge based on research in such records.
Crest of Gary Allan Mitchell
Blazon
A sea otter flotant Argent semé of ermine spots Azure bearing in its forepaws a mascle Gules;
Symbolism
The sea otter, being used in Canadian heraldry for the first time, is a reference to an important element of the 19th century fur trade centred at the Hudson Bay Company post at Fort Langley, which is very close to Mr. Mitchell’s birthplace. The mascle, or voided lozenge, appears frequently in Scottish coats of arms borne by persons with the surname Mitchell, and thus honours the Scottish heritage of Mr. Mitchell’s father. The use of blue and white for the sea otter alludes to the main colours in the arms of British Columbia, Mr. Mitchell’s home province.
Motto of Gary Allan Mitchell
Blazon
TO PERSEVERE;
Symbolism
Not applicable
