IAN Handberg is probably best known around the quiet streets and cul-de-sacs up the back of Chapman, at the foot of the Cooleman Ridge nature reserve, for the flagpole that sticks up from his front porch.

That and the collection of more than 200 different flags he attaches to it, changing them over “about every second day”.

“This corner’s like a little enclave,” says the Winstanley Street resident.

“Everybody knows each other; we don’t live on top of each other, but we do keep an eye out and look after one another.”

The friendly, fun-loving retiree and his wife Anne (who he still calls “the bride” after 23 years of marriage) have done a lot to bring the neighbourhood closer together.

When the “CityNews” team pays him a visit, he’s flying the national flag of Antigua and Barbuda. We know because it’s helpfully written on a little sign he attached to the letterbox to help him deal with all the interest, mainly from curious schoolkids.

“It’s amazing, the number of people that will come in and ask you,” he says, “They might be of a particular nationality background, and they’ll say their independence day is coming up and ask if I’ve got their flag, and if I can put it up.”

The collection, he says, is simply made up of whatever he can get his hands on. Some favourites are the Eureka flag, the boxing kangaroo, and the Lower Murray River flag – an early design that pre-dates the Australian flag, which he thinks should be changed so people stop confusing us for NZ at the Olympics. He also flies the colours of sporting teams along with novelty banners such as the Jolly Roger and one that proudly displays his allegiance to cold beer.

“I follow AFL and the Western Bulldogs are my team, but we’ve only won four games this year, so occasionally the Western Bulldogs goes up at half mast,” he jokes, when asked how seriously he takes official flag protocols.

Always good for a yarn, Ian tells us one about how seriously our local officials take those protocols.

“The ACT Government wouldn’t let me have an ACT flag,” he says. “They said it’s only on official buildings and all that. Next thing, my son comes home and he’s got an ACT flag! He bought it in Perth, just in a flag shop.”

However, his efforts to buy a Canberra Centenary flag in the last few weeks have not been so successful, with the Chief Minister’s office telling him there are no spares.

“[Katy Gallagher] sent me back a reply – or at least someone did – saying they might be available for sale to the public next year and I thought that’s a fat lot of use, this year’s the Centenary,” he says, laughing.

“I suggested that they should order 500 more and sell them for charity but oh, no, we can’t do that!”