WHEEL TAX AND TOKENS

Public talk by Gordon McGregor: Wheel Tax and Tokens - were there vehicle licences before there were cars in this country? Gordon McGregor is a historian whose interest focuses on medals, badges and licence tags. He will present some interesting facts while showing his book South West African Wheel Tax Badges 1926 – 1961. The theme of this book is the so-called ox-wagon licenses and the collecting of the applicable badges. This must surely rate as one of the least known areas of badge collecting in the world and it is more so restricted to Southern Africa. The book gives the history of the Four and Two Wheel Tax Badges used in the Protectorate of South West Africa. Gordon McGregor was born on 13 March 1948 in Benoni, Gauteng (formerly Transvaal), South Africa and where he grew up and went to school. After having completing his military service in the former South West Africa, he left for Germany, where he resided for a year. Upon return, he decided to reside in South West Africa. He initially received training as a communications technician, and thereafter completed his training as an electrician. He retired in September 2010 from the position of the Physical Planner of the University of Namibia. His interest in German Imperial Colonial Troops started at an early age and was fuelled by his arrival in South West Africa. It triggered an interest in collecting and researching medals, badges, insignia and the history from that period. He is a founder member, past president and lifelong honorary member of the Militaria Collector’s Society of Namibia, as well a member of the Bund Deutscher Ordenssammler, the Orders and Medals Society of America and the South African Military Medal Collector’s Society. He has published various books and written extensively on the medals, badges, insignia and history of the country from the pre-colonial times to the present day as well as receiving many honors and awards for his work in this field.