From an old Dutch maritime family, Reijer Mager knows that symbols matter.

The retired engineer led the campaign that recently saw Orange Council decide to fly the Ukrainian flag outside the Civic Centre.

While some may decry this as gesture politics, Reijer knows that a flag provides important symbolism in showing support for a nation under invasion by a powerful and ruthless neighbour.

Reijer also recently purchased a Ukrainian flag to fly next to a new Australian flag at his house in Paling Street and has also written to local parliamentarians urging them to get on board.

“I’ve had a flagpole since 1970; My parents were in the shipping game, and they always flew a flag; it’s in the blood,” Reijer enthused.

“I actually rang Melbourne yesterday and ordered the flag, I went to (Federal Member) Andrew Gee’s office and asked them to be part of it… I‘ve also bought a new Australian flag as my current one is getting a little tatty.”

Flying the flag, he believes, provides a powerful message of support to a beleaguered people.

“I’m for flying it, because Russia has invaded a sovereign country and is pushing the people out through war, and, it’s important,” he said.

“Ukraine is a prosperous country, what’s happening now, should not be happening. Putin just can’t stand the Ukrainian people having freedom,” he added.

He revealed that the invasion — the first European land war since 1945 — had also brought back bad memories for family members who had lived under Nazi occupation.

“I have relatives in the Netherlands who were young children in the Second World War and it’s bringing it back to them, they had to hide their father in the backyard so the Germans could not find him,” he explained.

Flags, he said, are a family tradition referencing Holland’s past and present as one of the world’s great maritime peoples.

“My parents were in the shipping game — among other ships, they had a barge that used to travel the canals between Holland and Germany, so they always flew a flag at home,” he said.

Reijer was so touched by the plight of the Ukrainian people, that he wrote a letter to Council and lobbied new councillor Glenn Floyd to allow for the fourth flagpole at Orange Council to fly the horizontal blue and yellow Ukrainian flag.

He wrote that flying the flag was: “a beautiful way to give the people of Ukraine the moral support in these dark days of war to fight to retain the sovereign state of Ukraine”

Council took up his suggestion at the most recent Council meeting with a special flag-raising ceremony led by Orange Mayor, Councillor Jason Hamling; but Reijer isn’t finished yet.

“Last night after I got the news, I wrote a letter to Andrew Gee asking him to buy another flagpole so that he can fly the Ukrainian flag… I hope he comes to the party,” he said.

“It’s only a little expense, I told them to forget about the expense of the pole and do it.”

State Member, Phil Donato was also approached with a vague response about flag protocols for members of parliament.

“No bureaucrat is going to tell me what flag to fly,” Reijer said defiantly.

Supporter Cr Floyd said that the flag is replacing the Orange Local Government flag that normally flies on the fourth flagpole at Council. “I think it’s a good gesture in support of the Ukrainian people,” he said.

He added that, Council is also seeking to ensure that the appalling anti-Russian sentiment that has seen many high-profile Russian-speakers victimised in recent times, does not filter down to the Colour City.

“At the same time, we’re writing a letter to the Russian-born expatriates, to say to them, we know there are a lot of Russians in Orange, and we are not blaming them for what is happening at the moment,” Cr Floyd said.