Artist: Linda Nicholson
Registered in The Chinese Armorial, October 25, 2011.
Arms: Gules a Chinese dragon with three claws grasping between the foreclaws a film sprocket enclosing a television picture tube all Or.
Crest: Above a helmet mantled Gules doubled Or within a wreath of these colours issuant from a chaplet of evergreen branches alternately Vert a demi bear rampant Or its dexter forepaw raised and holding two maple leaves slipped Gules.
Motto: Righteousness and Charity (in Chinese).
Grant: Canadian Heraldic Authority, March 9, 1998.
The shield’s dominant colours, red and gold, are the traditional colours of China and symbolize a successful and prosperous life and good spirits.
The Chinese dragon symbolizes Col. Lam’s family heritage from southern China. The dragon holds a film sprocket and television picture tube, symbolizing Col. Lam’s career in television and motion picture engineering and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.
The crest’s circlet of alternating evergreen and willow branches symbolizes his marriage; the evergreen branches symbolize him, the willow branches symbolize his wife (the willow leaves refer to his wife’s family name). The two maple leaves held by the bear in the crest symbolize his two Canadian-born children.
The bear in the crest is taken from the crest of the Province of Ontario. Col. Lam, as an officer of St. John Ambulance Brigade, was an Aide-de-Camp to six Lieutenants Governors of Ontario and the Deputy Chief Aide-de-Camp to Her Honour Hilary M. Weston, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
The eight-pointed cross of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem is placed behind the shield and the badge (decoration) of the Order is suspended from the shield because Col. Lam was a Knight of Justice in the Order.
Col. Lam was a vice-president of Sony Canada and Vice-President and Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. He served St. John Ambulance in both Hong Kong and Ontario and was the Deputy Provincial Commissioner of St. John Ambulance Brigade, Ontario. He was involved in many non-profit and charitable organizations, including the Atlantic Council of Canada, Scarborough Seniors Chinese Association, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. He was Honourary Colonel of the 25th Field Ambulance, Canadian Forces.
Col. Lam passed away in 2009 in Markham, Ontario.
* deceased