25 January 2012

Canberra's flagpole? Or a national symbol?

25 January 2012 | Tim Kelly

Back where I originate from, some community minded types have decided to redesign the local clock tower.

Putting aside the rest of the aesthetics of LED screens and what have you, they have proposed to drop a flagpole on the top that looks like a miniature version of the one we have atop Parliament House.

Does this irritate anyone else? Isn’t the Parliament House flagpole a symbol of Canberra/the ACT, or is it a national symbol that can be used anywhere (even in miniature on top of a 2m x 2m clock tower)?

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harvyk18:53 am 26 Jan 12

All I can think is that they asked the community for idea’s for a clock tower, and then decided “I know, we’ll do them all”

It is a symbol of Canberra, and of Australian politics, just as the statue of liberty is a symbol of New York, and yet there are replica’s everywhere of that from Ireland to Japan…

milkman7:05 pm 25 Jan 12

qbngeek said :

niftydog said :

The flagpole is the least of your worries; That thing is ugly with a capital F!

+1

Did someone shape that thing out of the ugly stick?

It was carved from the tree the ugly stick came from.

Jethro6:49 pm 25 Jan 12

Deckard said :

BenMac said :

Of more concern for me is the owner of 106 Archdall St in Dunlop that has/had their own version of the Parliament House flagpole in their front yard.

Yep, almost as big as his house… Don’t know if it makes him a racist, but could qualify him as a nutjob.

Charm. Adds a bit of charm.

Deckard6:29 pm 25 Jan 12

BenMac said :

Of more concern for me is the owner of 106 Archdall St in Dunlop that has/had their own version of the Parliament House flagpole in their front yard.

Yep, almost as big as his house… Don’t know if it makes him a racist, but could qualify him as a nutjob.

trevar5:59 pm 25 Jan 12

Jethro said :

They should hook up some wires and use the clocktower to generate the 1.21 gigawatts I need to get home.

LOL My mind went straight to that movie too!

I-filed5:41 pm 25 Jan 12

The flagpole on APH is an americanism so it’s a strange kind of “national symbol”. They are welcome to use it. Their design is hokey but at least as good design-wise as APH, which is a truly horrible building.

Henry824:59 pm 25 Jan 12

niftydog said :

The flagpole is the least of your worries; That thing is ugly with a capital F!

this

dpm4:41 pm 25 Jan 12

Well, that’s what happens when you get a committee to design something…. Gold!
In reality though, we Canberrans (with our phallic owl et al) are in no position to critique other people’s ‘public art’ installations! We really should be going down there and having a quiet consoling beer with our Swan Hill brothers and sisters instead. We share your pain! Hahahaha! 🙂

qbngeek4:17 pm 25 Jan 12

niftydog said :

The flagpole is the least of your worries; That thing is ugly with a capital F!

Did someone shape that thing out of the ugly stick?

Duffbowl3:47 pm 25 Jan 12

2600 said :

I believe the clock on the Paul’s Centre in Phillip has a similar design and was there before 1988.

From my vantage point, it looks remarkably similar. No idea if it predates APH.

I think there is a similar flagpole setup in Tuggers at one of the tyre shops.

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