- The Governor General of Canada
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Jeffrey Robert Cairns
St. Catharines, Ontario
Grant of Arms, Flag and Badge, with differences to James Robert Cairns and Matthew Andrew Cairns
August 15, 2005
Vol. IV, p. 515
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Blazon
Arms
Per fess wavy Gules and Azure overall three chevronels interlaced, in chief three martlets Or;
Crest
And upon a helmet mantled Gules doubled Or within a wreath of these colours, this Crest: Issuant from a coronet of maple leaves and trillium flowers Or, a demi-dragon Gules grasping in its dexter claw a sword Or and charged on the shoulder with an escallop Argent;
Motto
NON SIBI SED PATRIÆ;
Symbolism
Arms
The chevronels allude to the idea of the name “Cairns,” a cairn being a pile of items stacked together. They also represent the three males in the family, as well as belief in the Holy Trinity. The blue wavy base represents the importance in the life of Mr. Cairns of his experiences at Balsam Lake in the Kawarthas region in Ontario by using the chevronels to represent stylised wave crests on the blue lake. In addition, red and blue are the regimental colours of The Lincoln and Welland Regiment. The gold martlets on a red field are traditional elements associated with other designs for Cairns found in ordinaries of arms.
Crest
The demi-dragon alludes to the family origins of both parents of Mr. Cairns. His mother’s family comes from Wales, while his father’s comes from the City of Dundee, Scotland, which has two dragons as supporters. The coronet signals the honour of being appointed Aide-de-Camp to several Lieutenant-Governors of the Province of Ontario. The sword is held point upwards, representing active service in the armed forces of Canada. The escallop, shown in the position of a “shoulder patch,” represents the service of both Mr. Cairns and his grandfather to The Lincoln and Welland Regiment, the former having been the Commanding Officer of the regiment.
Motto
NON SIBI SED PATRIAE means “Not for one’s self but for the country.” The motto is from that of John Graves Simcoe, from which also the motto of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment is derived.