It was an ordinary day. Just looking at the flag of Sint Maarten. Sint Maarten is a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands occupying the southern half of the island of Saint Martin. According to a website I viewed, Sint Maarten is home to many distinctive plants such as hibiscus, yellow sage, flamboyant trees, mahogany, and cacti. An estimated 522 wild plants are present, mainly being seed plants and a few ferns. The Calyptranthes boldinghgii and Galsctia nummelaria are "island-endemic" and it is suspected that they have already gone extinct. Many of the hilltops are semi-evergreen seasonal forests which are rare in the region. Their historic courthouse was built in 1793 and has been renovated several times over the years. This relic from the past was originally the home of the town's founder, Commander John Philips. In the past it has been used as a jail, a fire station and a post office. Today it is used solely as a court of law.
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| The iconic Courthouse in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. Here you can see the flag and pineapple on top of the Courthouse. |
The bell tower houses a 25 bell carillon. The Pineapple on the building's roof is an international symbol of welcome. Australian master shipwright Frank Gonsalves carved the pineapple in 1996, to replace the original, which blew away in a storm. Now, I could go on and on about a few other historic items about the Capital of the Dutch side of the island, but I have written about it a few times before. One thing I could never find anything out about though was their island's national flag. Was there one? I suppose, but I couldn't find anything out about it. Until I came across a story that read: Governor's Standard The flag of Sint Maarten is the national flag of Sint Maarten, a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands occupying the southern half of the island of Saint Martin. The flag, which was designed by 17 year old Roselle Richardson, was officially adopted on 13 June 1985. Yes...you read the correctly! A 17 year old young woman designed the flag for a territory of the country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands! Wow! So, why do countries have flags? Flags show that we belong to a community, organization or nation and that we share beliefs, goals, rules and regulations. Flags are national symbols. Most every country has a specific flag as their national symbol. At least I thought they did. And now, as of June 13, 1985, the Dutch side of the island of Saint Martin, known as Sint Maarten, has its own flag. Pretty impressive young girl. Now, I realize that was about 36 years ago, but it was a monumental accomplishment for a young girl back in 1985.
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| Miss Roselle Richardson holding the flag she designed. The date was June 13, 1985 |
I also read that on 17, November, 1982 the Coat-Of-Arms was accepted for Sint Maarten. Miss Richardson was 17 years old and a student at Milton Peters College when she designed the flag. Actually, Milton Peters College is a secondary school located on the Dutch side of St. Maarten. If Miss Richardson had been going to school in the United States, she would have been a student in high school. Which...makes it even more impressive that she designed the flag for Sint Maarten.
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The design features a horizontal bicolor of red and blue with the coat of arms on a white chevron, thus incorporating the colors of the Dutch flag. The red symbolizes solidarity and courage, the blue symbolizes peace and assurance of pardon and the white symbolizes purity and faith. |
June 13, 2020 marked the 35th year since the Sint Maarten flag was designed by Roselle Richardson. It was presented by Dr. Claude Wathey and then approved and established by the then sitting members of Island Council. Today, the Sint Maarten Flag remains an intricate pat of the fabric of the Historical and Cultural heritage of the island. Since that time, on every June 13th, persons at businesses in the community are asked to show their pride and patriotism by flying the Sint Maarten flag on vehicles and buildings or wherever they deem it appropriate. Persons are reminded to follow proper protocol and etiquette of how the flag should be displayed. I'm sure that on June 13, 1985, Miss Richardson was so excited to have her flag chosen as the flag of her country. Something that she will never forget! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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| Another photograph of Miss Richardson's SXM flag design. |
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| Another neat photograph showing the Courthouse. |
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