(At a celebration for the 50th Anniversary of our Canadian flag on Parliament Hill, Mrs. Joan O’Malley sits with her original Singer sewing machine and the original Canadian flag design that she had sewn on a wintry night Friday, November 6, 1964. Photos: Lesley McKay)
Six decades ago, a new maple leaf flag was raised above Parliament Hill for the first time, replacing the British Red Ensign that had represented Canada for nearly a century. The key concept for the new Canadian flag was born in Kingston, and the real work of designing was completed in Ottawa.
On Friday, November 14, 2014, I had the honour of being invited to attend the 50th Anniversary celebration on Parliament Hill for the first-ever flown red Maple Leaf flag and meeting the woman, Mrs. Joan O’Malley, who had sewn the original – Maple Leaf flag, as well as two other prototypes. Below is the story she shared with the audience.
The momentous occasion to sew the flag had taken place on November 6, 1964 when Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson requested that three original flag designs (which Mrs. O’Malley helped to prepare) be completed and sent to him at Harrington Lake so that he could see what each looked like flying on a flagpole. The three designs were chosen from a list of more than 3,500 entries. The designs included the current Canadian flag, the “Pearson Pennant”, and a third design that resembled the current flag, but with a Union Jack and three fleurs-de-lis.
Mrs. O’Malley (often referred to as Canada’s Betsy Ross) then went on to share the story of how her involvement came to be.
Her father, Ken Donovan, was the assistant purchasing director for the Canadian Government Exhibition Commission and because the flag job was approved after business hours on a snowy Friday night, he could find no seamstress available to do the sewing. He knew his daughter had sewing experience, as she had sewn some of her own clothes, and drew upon her talent by requesting her to carry out the historical work.
So, on the evening of Friday, November 6, 1964, Joan, a 20-year old secretary at the Indian Affairs Branch of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, found herself travelling in the early evening through a snow storm to the Exhibition Commission’s office in Ottawa south with her famous Singer sewing machine.
She worked through most of the night hemming the three flags. Upon completion and with dawn quickly approaching, the three flags were hastily delivered to 24 Sussex to be transported to Harrington Lake where Prime Minister Pearson was staying. Of the three delivered, one was the single red maple leaf on a white background that would be soon known as Canada’s new flag.
The winning design was selected for its simplicity – which made it easily recognizable – for the use of Canada’s national colours and for the prominence of the maple leaf, which had become a symbol of pride and Canadian identity. The motion to adopt this design as the National Flag of Canada was passed on December 15, 1964.
The official version was flown publicly for the first time on February 15, 1965 on Parliament Hill.
At the ceremony on Parliament Hill, Mrs. O’Malley was presented with the flag that had been flown on the Harrington Lake flagpole on November 6, 1964 – exactly 50 years after she had sewn the first prototype. At the ceremony, she noted that “while I was never paid to create the three flags, I consider this recognition received to be payment enough”.
Unfortunately, it is not known where the other two versions are located. The original flag was kept at Queen’s University for some time, but both it and the famous Singer sewing machine were to be donated to a museum. After being stored in Mrs. O’Malley’s basement, the Singer was displayed at the Canadian Museum of History’s Canadian History Hall from 2017 to 2019. It’s current whereabouts are unknown.
For the 60th anniversary on February 15, 2025, the historic original flag flown on the Peace Tower flagpole February 15, 1965, is available for public viewing at Chimczuk Museum in Windsor, Ontario.
