Wentworth Shire retired its 'exploding ram' logo — and part of the town revolted

Wentworth Shire Council in New South Wales wanted a brand that could be recognised outside the region; its old logo — the 1986 competition winner by student Anne Keogh, affectionately known as 'the exploding ram' — was retired.

Three interlocking shapes trace the Darling–Murray rivers junction, coloured by the region's Perry Sand Hills, red earth and riverbank growth

General manager Ken Ross unveiled the new logo at the Wentworth Show: three shapes representing movement, irrigation and organic stylised leaf forms, inspired by the junction of the Darling and Murray rivers, in colours drawn from the golden Perry Sand Hills, blue skies, red earth and riverbank growth. The old logo stays on display at the Wentworth Civic Centre as history and heritage.

The rollout began across social media, the council website and marketing — but the backlash became the story: a councillor publicly called the design bland and the process insufficiently consultative.

When Wentworth Shire Council in New South Wales decided to rebrand in 2022, it retired a logo with 36 years of local attachment: the 1986 winner of a shire art competition, designed by school student Anne Keogh — a bright yellow explosion in front of a red and blue flag, carrying symbols of the region's river trade, sheep and horticulture. Locals knew it as 'the exploding ram'.

General manager Ken Ross said the new mark would strengthen and build awareness of the shire outside the region. Inspired by the junction of the Darling and Murray rivers, it uses three interconnecting shapes representing movement, irrigation and organic stylised leaf forms, coloured from the golden Perry Sand Hills, blue skies, red earthy soils and the colours of growth along the riverbanks. It debuted at the Wentworth Show and rolled out across social media, the shire website and marketing.

The loss stung. Councillor Jane MacAllister questioned the design and the consultation behind it: the original contained the shire's agricultural industries and paddle-steamer history and 'was designed by a local school kid — why can't we do that again so the kids can contribute their vision of the region's future?' She also wanted First Nations cultural heritage represented, and called the new logo 'bland as a comparison to the original'.

Civic identity is inherited, not owned: a 1986 schoolkid's prize had become the community's self-portrait.

Process is part of the design: the same open competition that created affection could have renewed it.

The new mark's abstract elegance traded legible local symbols for forms only the brochure explains.

A logo can outgrow its institution: when the mark was made by the community, replacing it without the community reopens the decision.

The original logo was preserved in the Wentworth Civic Centre's history and heritage display. The rollout continued across social media, the website and marketing; the report recorded no resolution on consultation or First Nations input.