 From 1857 until 1908, the City of Sydney used variations on a design for the city seal by draughtsman M. de St Remy.This design, for which the city never received an official grant of arms, featured a shield with a rising sun, a common symbol in early Australian heraldry representing the growth of the new colony, and a ship, representing Sydney's maritime heritage.The sun was later replaced with a beehive, a traditional symbol of industry.