Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions - ANARE Symbols

ANARE Symbols

Soon after being appointed Antarctic Division director in 1949, Dr. Phillip Law saw the need for a recognisable symbol for the fledgling ANARE. His wife, Nel, was an artist and produced the distinctive and enduring circular emblem that Dr Law described as "...a circular badge whose centre is the Antarctic Continent with the Australian sector shaded. Surrounding this is an annular set of designs depicting flora and fauna of Antarctica and the Sub-Antarctic Islands".

The main ANARE emblem was, in Dr Law's words, "too complex to reproduce as a lapel badge or as a logo on aircraft, vehicles or flags." Dr Law saw potential in the Leopard Seal as a simplified ANARE symbol. "I was struck with the possibility of formalising a sketch of the creature to produce a geometrical pattern of straight lines....I drew it in the national colours of gold and green." That symbol served until 1985, when a new 'globe' logo based on the Australian and Antarctic continents was developed by the AAD (Bowden, 'The Silence Calling' 1997: 373).

At the same time the term ANARE fell out of official use the 'globe' logo was also discarded in favour of the Australian coat of arms to bring the livery of the AAD in line with the rest of the Australian Public Service. However like the ANARE name the logo continues to be used on an informal basis by expeditioners each year in the production of Antarctic Station badges, T-Shirts and other memorabilia.

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