- The Governor General of Canada
The contents of this Register are intended for research purposes only. The heraldic emblems found in the Register may not be reproduced in any form or in any media without the written consent of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and/or the recipient.
Gen-Find Research Associates, Inc.
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Grant of Arms, Supporters, Flags and Badge
September 15, 2010
Vol. V, p. 550
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Blazon
Arms
Or a spiral of two bars Azure, overall an arbutus tree eradicated Gules;
Crest
Issuant from arbutus branches a ship of three masts proper;
Supporters
Dexter 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;
Motto
LUATHAICH SINN DO SHAOGHAL NUADH;
Motto
HONOUR THE PAST • EMBRACE THE FUTURE;
Symbolism
Arms
Yellow, 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.
Crest
The 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.
Supporters
Mermaids 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.
Motto
The Gaelic sentence LUATHAICH SINN DO SHAOGHAL NUADH, meaning “We hastened to a new world,” emphasizes the importance of migration to the company’s work.
Motto
The Motto is an invitation to the celebration of past, present and future history.