The College’s coat of arms was designed to reflect the profession of obstetrics and gynaecology and its practitioners.
Coat of arms
The College was granted its coat of arms in 1931. It comprises the following elements:
- Arms
- Crest
- Supporters
- Motto
Arms
The blue and black fields of the shield indicate day and night. This conveys the idea of something that happens always, day and night.
The Mullet, or Star, represents the Natal Star of Bethlehem.
Crest
The setting sun symbolises the rest that comes after labour; the crescent moon symbolises light (borrowed from the sun) in the darkness for those whose work continues into the night.
Supporters
The figure on the right (as you look at the coat of arms) represents Aesculapius, the classical God of healing, medicine and health. His emblem (or wand of office) is a staff, around which a serpent is coiled. The staff and serpent is an ancient symbol of healing. In his right hand, the figure carries the crescent moon, which is a female symbol.
The figure on the left represents a woman carrying a staff crowned by the crux ansata, the symbol of life and the giving of life. The staff is green, which is the colour of spring, the season of gestation in nature.Both figures wear white robes and sandals to express the idea of hygiene.
Below the shield are pomegranates, symbols of fertility and the persistence of life.
Motto
The motto, ‘super ardua’, means ‘let us overcome our difficulties’. The motto was taken from the personal coat of arms of William Blair-Bell, one of the founders of the College and the first President.
Logo
The College’s current logo was introduced in 2011.
The logo is a modernised, simplified version of the coat of arms. It features the shield, or arms, whose blue and black fields represent night and day, signifying how care is provided 24 hours a day.