Vestments of Office
As head of the council, the Lord mayor is entitled to wear the chains and robes of office, as befitting the ancient status of Lord Mayor of a large city. In 1902 the Sydney Chamber of Commerce commission the first link to add to a Mayoral chain. In 1903, the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Harry Rawson presented the first Lord Mayor, Thomas Hughes, with the chain of office. It features the coat of arms of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce and the Stock Exchange and a pendant depicting the Coat of arms of Sydney. Successive mayors each added a medallion onto which were embossed their terms of office, however by 1945 this practice ended because of the size and weight of the chain. Today, the chain is worn with the robes of office for rare civic occasions and for most formal civic duties, a smaller collar is worn.
The original civic robe for the Mayor of Sydney in 1842 was purple trimmed with ermine with a court dress hat. The current robes worn by the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor are black, trimmed with ermine, and includes bicorne hat, lace jabot and white gloves. They are worn rarely and only at major civic functions. Recently, it has been the preference not to wear the robes.
Read more about this topic: List Of Mayors And Lord Mayors Of Sydney
Famous quotes containing the word office:
“‘Tis all men’s office to speak patience
To those that wring under the load of sorrow,
But no man’s virtue nor sufficiency
To be so moral when he shall endure
The like himself.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)