Safety First

photo by Michele Stevens

On a house and garden tour (that also included two boats) to benefit the Mahone Bay Museum in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, I spied the Latin motto for the Canadian Coast Guard (SALUTI PRIMUM AUXILIO SEMPER meaning "for safety first for help always") displayed on a sign at the Mahone Bay wharf.  The a-b-a-b or interlocked word order (noun in dative, adverb, noun in dative, adverb) gives a nice balance to the Latin and also emphasizes the first and last words that begin with the letter s: (saluti "for safety"...  semper "always." The Canadian Coast Guard observed the 50th anniversary of its existence under that name in 2012; here is an excellent history and description of the service, including an explanation of the CCG badge and its symbols.

I was happy to see a Latin motto for the Canadian Coast Guard, as the United States Coast Guard has one of my favorite mottoes: SEMPER PARATUS meaning "always prepared." Around the sea coast, and Canada has the longest coastline of any country, one must always be prepared, because the sea demands respect.