Yellowknife (Jun 16/06) - In 1957 Miss Netta Pringle lived in a little shack in Con just outside Yellowknife. At the same time, Yellowknife's town council was searching for an emblem for a Coat of Arms.

Netta Pringle, designer of Yellowknife's official coat of arms, turned 100 this week on June 12, 2006 in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is pictured with her niece, Judy McNicol of Yellowknife. - photo courtesy of Judy McNicole

Pringle noticed an advertisement in the News of the North Newspaper calling for artwork submissions for the coat of arms.

"It never ceases to amaze me how much the prize money was," said Mayor Gordon Van Tighem.

"It was $25 - Netta Pringle won, selected from a group of finalists."

That was 49 years ago.

Last Monday, Netta Pringle celebrated her 100th birthday in Edinburgh, Scotland. Though she has never been back to Yellowknife, she speaks with warmth and clarity about the time she lived in the city, according to her niece, Judy McNicol of Yellowknife. "She was very shy and still is," said McNicol.

Pringle lived in Yellowknife for only a year, drawing and enjoying an adventurous lifestyle.

"She never married - she was a woman before her time."

The official Yellowknife coat of arms is on all the official stationary and hangs in the city's council chambers.