The University Emblem

Following the amalgamation of the University of Technology, Sydney; Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education; and the Institute of Technical and Adult Teacher Education of the Sydney College of Advanced Education in January 1990, it was widely felt that a new emblem was needed to project the image of the new University.

The distinguished graphic designer, Mr Harry Williamson, was commissioned to develop a new emblem. This he did and following appropriate consultation within the University, the Council officially endorsed the new emblem on 27 February 1992. The emblem embodies three major components.

The most prominent feature is the anchor drawn from the coat of arms of the City of Sydney where the largest campus of UTS is located. It reinforces the University's traditional close links with government, commerce and industry within the city. The base of the anchor also forms one of the spirals of the double helix in the representation of the DNA molecule, the basic building block of life itself.

The breaking of this genetic code has been hailed as one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the 20th Century and the researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962. The double helix, therefore, reflects the innovative, technological character of the University. The wave motif at the base complements the other elements in the design, and symbolises the maritime position of the City of Sydney.

The contemporary design is contained in a heraldic shield which provides a sense of continuity with tradition for institutions of higher learning through the ages. The emblem is compatible with the University mace, which is carried on ceremonial occasions as a symbol of authority. The mace also contains the double helix on the top and the coat of arms of the City of Sydney at its base.

The Ceremonial Mace and Staff

The mace was originally a weapon of offence, of great power. It was carried in battle by medieval bishops since canonical rule forbade priests to shed blood. Bishop Odo of Bayeux is represented on the Bayeux Tapestry as wielding one instead of a sword. Later, maces began to have a ceremonial function, though they were still intended to provide protection, usually to the King's person, and were borne by sergeants at arms within the Royal Bodyguard. By the late sixteenth century the mace's warlike aspect had gradually diminished and increasing attention was paid to its ornamentation with precious metals, and even jewels. The pattern of the mace commonly seen today was standardised by Royal Decree of Charles I (1600–1649). At UTS, the mace bearer is a member of staff. The mace is carried before the Chancellor on all ceremonial occasions over which the Chancellor presides. It is a symbol of the fact that the Chancellor represents the tradition of the University and that in the Chancellor is vested the authority and good name of the University.

The University's mace was a gift from the Department of Technical and Further Education in New South Wales in 1989 to the Council of the first University of Technology, Sydney. That council in its turn presented the mace to the new University. Its design is a blend of traditional and modern devices. The most prominent feature is a double helix, the code of life, surmounted by a device depicting the University emblem and the emblem of the first UTS. At the base of the shaft the emblem of The City of Sydney, the waratah and the TAFE logo are depicted. A strand of the double helix and the anchor of The City of Sydney emblem are also incorporated into the University's present emblem. The mace is made of silver and titanium to symbolise the blend of tradition and modern technology. It was designed and made by Helge Larsen and Darani Lewers, jewellers and silversmiths of Sydney.

The University's staff was also designed by Helge Larsen and Darani Lewers to respond to the particular character of the University of Technology, Sydney and to relate to the mace they designed for the University in 1989. The head of the staff, a spherical wire form, recalls the double helix head of the mace. Similarly the University emblem surmounts the head. A series of rings around the shaft repeats the motif of wheels used on the shaft of the mace. The Australian timber jarrah used for the shaft of the staff replaces the titanium of the shaft on the mace. Its warmth and richness is appropriate to its supporting role in relation to the ceremonial mace as one of the two symbols of authority. The staff was a gift from the UTS Alumni Association and was used for the first time in the Autumn 1994 graduation ceremonies. It is carried at the head of the academic procession by a member of UTS staff.