 The upper division of the shield features simplified versions of the three emblems in the upper part of the previous coat of arms, which together represent the naming of Sydney, the British contribution to Sydney's establishment and Sydney's emergence as a port city.The leftmost, with three white shells and a blue chevron on a gold background, is based on part of the arms of the man for whom the city was named, Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney.Townshend played an important role as Principal Under-Secretary of State when Sydney was founded in 1788.