Personal Flag of Ben Koorengevel
                                          (Adopted 1993. Proportions 1:2)
 
Flag Blazon: Gules, on a Lozenge Argent, a Slanting Cross Patée Gules

As is the case with many North Americans, I have a mixed ethnic background. I therefore felt it necessary
that my flag should be representative of those cultures from which my ancestors originated, but also
be in touch with my Canadian identity.

The colours used on my personal flag are red and white. The reason behind this is twofold.
First, they represent the country of my birth, Canada, whose official colours are the same.
Second, they are a tribute to my French heritage. In 1534, Jacques Cartier flew the
then red and white cross flag of France aboard his ship when he sailed down the Saint Lawrence
River into Québec, my home province.

Having identical proportions as Canada's flag, my flag consists of a white lozenge on a
red background. The lozenge in heraldry typically stands for Honesty and Constancy. Both
are fundamental principles I strive to live by. The lozenge itself is charged with a red cross
partly of my own invention, inspired by Germanic and Celtic Cross design. The cross symbolizes
my Dutch and Irish roots.

     Kamon of the House of Koorengevel
 
I've had the privilege of working with the Japanese since 2001 and have visited their country twice so far.
I've since discovered that the Japanese have their own form of heraldic symbols commonly referred to
as "Mon" or "Kamon". Translated, Mon means badge (Kamon is family badge). A Mon typically consists
of a roundel encircling a design. Asides from families, Mon have also been used to represent government institutions,
businesses, towns, cities and prefects.

From my personal research, there seems to be no strict rules governing the design of Mon as is the case with
European style heraldry. Mon designs are usually inspired by nature or a traditional facet of Japanese life
(ie. birds, flowers, plants, bamboo structures, hand fan, etc...)

I derived the above design based on my personal flag. A friend of mine helped me to write the family name in
Katakana, the Japanese alphabet used to write words of foreign origin. Unfortunately, there are no letter "V" or "L"
in Japanese. The closest phonetic pronounciation of my family name in Japanese would be Kurengeberu.
 

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