The 1936 Coat-of-Arms

The original Coat of Arms of South Australia was granted by His Majesty King Edward VIII on the 100th anniversary of South Australia's foundation on November 20, 1936.

The shield featured a golden rising sun on a blue background, with the top or chief in white featuring three bundles or panicles of wheat.

The crest featured a golden lion of England passant guardant (walking, right front paw raised, facing the viewer), in front of a blue flag with the Southern Cross in white.

The supporters were a woman holding a "horn of plenty" and a male shearer holding scissors and wool. Two branches of golden wattle were at the bottom, along with the motto "Faith and Courage".

The 1984 Coat-of-Arms

The Coat-of-Arms of South Australia (1984)

Over the years it was felt that the 1936 Coat-of-Arms was inappropriate, since it did not feature the Australian magpie, the state emblem of South Australia which appears on the state flag. Therefore the South Australian government sought to replace the old coat-of-arms, and the present coat of arms was conferred by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on April 19, 1984.

The shield now has the Australian magpie within a golden disc (officially said to represent the rising sun) on a blue background.

The crest is the Sturt's desert pea, the floral emblem of South Australia.

The new coat-of-arms has no supporters. The base is a grassland with symbols of agriculture and industry, and a scroll with the name "South Australia".

External link

• The State Coat of Arms of South Australia