Ron Strachan may not have visited every country in the world but at some point in time he is likely to have held a part of each one in his hands.

For more than 30 years the 80-year-old has supplied flags to people, organisations and government departments across Australia and throughout the world.

But vexillology — the study of flags and their meanings — was his passion long before it was his business.

While other young children of his generation were fascinated with the intricacies of coins and stamps, Mr Strachan found himself drawn towards hoisted pieces of flying fabric.

"I suppose the attraction of the colours took my eye and I kept it as a hobby with a couple of flag books," he said.

"That flag book library now numbers well over 200 books, all of different types."

'Political, apolitical and controversial'

More than 70 years on from when his fascination began, Mr Strachan's knowledge and understanding of flags beggars belief.

"They're much more than just pieces of cloth.

"They're political, they're apolitical, they're controversial and the colours and illustrations mean a lot."

He said customers and people passing by his Darwin showroom often liked to quiz him on his knowledge of flags.

Most recently, an Irish customer entered the shop and asked Mr Strachan if he knew of the only flag in the world to depict a musical instrument.

Mr Strachan's Darwin storefront is home to thousands of flags in a range of different shapes and sizes. ( ABC Radio Darwin: Mark Rigby )

Although it is not the country's official flag, Mr Strachan was able to tell him it was an Irish flag known as The Green Flag and the customer left happy.

"Then, if you go the reverse of that, you go to Mozambique which has an AK-47 gun on the flag," Mr Strachan laughed.

All countries, great and small

It will come as no surprise to many that there is no uniform size for a country's flag, rather each country sets its own specific standard.

Unfortunately for Mr Strachan, this fact is sometimes lost on his customers.

"I've come to learn that the customer is nearly always right — with the emphasis on nearly.

"The European Union [embassy] in Canberra, which I supply, currently has about 28 flags on display and there could be six or seven different sizes right there."

He said after providing them with a crash course in flag sizes they chose the easy option.

"They opted for one size flag so that they'd all look uniform in their showroom," he said.

An uncertain future

Mr Strachan is the first to admit he is no spring chicken.

Regardless of his age he is reluctant to hang up his mallet anytime soon.

Mr Strachan uses a mallet to bash metal eyelets into completed flags so they can be hoisted. ( ABC Radio Darwin: Mark Rigby )

"I'd possibly have trouble selling the shop as a going concern because who do I find that's got the interest that I have?

"I'd love to think it could be somebody from the Army, Navy or Air Force who appreciates protocol, or it could be beneficial to a mum and dad-type situation, but they'd have to really suck it up and enjoy everything that goes on.

"If I was to close the door tomorrow I think I'd be missed."