About Us

Contact Details

Waddington Educational Resources Pty Ltd

11 Walsh Avenue, STRATHALBYN SA 5255

Phone for within Australia : 08 85368000

Phone for outside Australia : +61 8 85368000

ABN : 92 008 285 210

ACN: 008 285 210

Email:

Hours: M-F mainly during school office hours

About our Flag

Sky, stars, sun, earth, sea
And colours of all people.

A new Australian flag design which embodies visual, social and scientific properties relating to the Australian country, it's people, it's history and its part of the universe.

Many people ask us about our logo, particularly the flag.

Waddington Educational Resources Pty Ltd was established as an Australian company in 1986. Our logo has remained virtually unchanged apart from the flag. We began with the Australian flag. In 1988, when the Australian government of the day marked Australia's bicentennial - 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788), I developed an inclusive flag because I did not feel the Australian flag was truly representative of modern Australia, especially the first Australians.

At the beginning of 2016, after more than 20 years of careful thinking and assessing adjustments, I reworked the design to further enhance its elements, establish critical new design points and remove the seven pointed star.

The design is a simple Australian sky/land/sea scape. It shows the setting sun and the emerging Southern Cross. The red band represents the warm red earth between the night sky and cool blue sea.

Besides it's pleasant Australian landscape look and strategic inclusive properties, it also has an intrinsic scientific layout to reinforce fairness and direction. The flag has 7 evenly split layers (reminiscent of the old 7 pointed star). The sun and stars take pride of place in two evenly split left and right portions. The sea band is twice that of the land and the sky is twice that of the sea. It's layout of the sun and stars is carefully based on finding Australian directions by day or by night. Hold the flag up matching the setting sun to your left and north will be about 90° forward (roughly in the direction that the bottom flag edge to the right-hand bottom corner points). Hold the flag up matching the Southern Cross and due south will be roughly below the left-hand flag bottom corner to the horizon (like following a vertical line from the lower flag corner to the horizon). The flag corner is the South Celestial Pole position, which is 4.5 times the length between the 'top' and 'bottom' star.

When using the flag in this way, it reminds us of looking forward and looking back, not only looking forward to north and looking back to south, but everything else that might embody looking forward to a better, fair and equitable future that never forgets our past or whoever, or whatever, is below us.

The colours are a true reflection of the varied human make up of Australia as well as indicating its historical past. One day Australia will have a new Australian flag. It may not be this one, but it's important to take a transitionary stand, just like my grandfather did.

[WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following contains names of deceased persons]

My grandfather on my mother's side was Angus Donald (Mac) Mackenzie. Mac was an amazing man and way ahead of his time. Mac spent a lot of time at Framlingham Victoria in his early years and later in the north of South Australia, especially Parachilna. Mac was close to boxer Lionel Rose and his extended aunties and uncles. Indeed, Mac was so accepted as a young man, he proudly bore a missing front tooth as the sign of his initiation. During the 1950s, Mac became the owner of a trucking company and was one of the first to employ Indigenous people on a true equal pay and conditions basis, so much so, my father, my uncle and Mac walked out of a pub with their fellow brother worker when he was denied service and to this day, none ever returned to that pub. Mac treated all his workers, customers, friends and people he didn't even know, like family, sharing what he had, even if it was simply time he had in a day. But most importantly, Mac understood the real meaning of social acceptance and equality, whereby you treat all people with deep heart-felt respect and love.

As a teacher, I taught several years at Meningie Area School SA, next to the Murray River mouth's Lake Albert and the Coorong. Besides a teacher there who was later to become my wife (Jean), the most important person to make a very deep impression on me as a young and naive teacher was Ngarrindjeri Elder George Trevorrow. I was also very lucky to teach George's wonderful children but I felt I actually learnt more from them, especially their father, mother and their extended aunties and uncles. George knew the importance of his country and how important it is for all of us to learn from and respect both it and those who are the traditional custodians of it.

As previously mentioned, one day Australia will have a new Australian flag, a symbol everyone can relate to in a truly inclusive and respectful way. It may not be the one presented here, but it's important to take a transitionary stand.

About our First Aid History

My grandfather/great-grandfather and their fathers, on my father's side, worked and managed woollen mills in Castlemaine and Warrnambool (Victoria) and before that, Yorkshire (England). In 2013, I visited Piece Hall in England where my early ancestors traded cloth, most likely including cloth used to bandage and treat wounds hundreds of years ago.

I want to thank you, our valued customers, for continuing to support the work we do.

Kind regards,

Neil Waddington