100 Years since first Driver's licence issued in SA

The Bay to Birdwood Run this year commemorates the centenary of the first driver’s licence being issued in South Australia to Dr William Hargreaves.

Dr William Arthur Hargreaves was born in Ipswich on the 29th October 1866 the son of Ebenezer Hargreaves ironmonger, and his wife Sarah. He was educated at Ipswich Grammar school and he continued his education at the Melbourne University where he won the university prize in natural sciences. He married Camilla Maude Nicholls in Melbourne in 1894 and they later had one daughter. Dr Hargreaves was director of the Gordon Technical College in Geelong for two years before returning to Queensland to teach science at Brisbane Grammar school. He soon discovered that he was the lowest paid on the staff so, in 1897 he left to become the assistant government analyst in the Queensland Mines Department.

In 1899 Hargreaves moved to South Australia as government analyst and chief inspector of explosives. He was a keen motorist and was the first person to obtain a driving licence and register a motor car in South Australia.

France and Germany were two of the earliest countries to enforce mandatory driver licensing, right at the start of the 20th century. As motoring related fatalities began to rise in North America, public outcry urged legislators to study the French and German system of licensing.

On the 30th August 1906 Dr William Hargreaves was issued his licence in South Australia, however it was not until August 1, 1910 that North America's first driver licensing law went into effect in the state of New York. This law initially applied only to professional chauffeurs however, in July 1913 the State of New Jersey became the first in the US to require all drivers to pass a mandatory examination before receiving a licence.

Records from 1907 “The Tourist’s Road Guide” which detailed the name and address of owner, make and horsepower of each car revealed that there were 306 registered and licensed drivers in South Australia. In 1908 the number had risen to 429 although addresses were not given in this issue. Later editions failed to give the make of the car; however, by 1910 the list was recorded both numerically and alphabetically.

By the year 1913 there was nearly one thousand registered cars in this state and in the weekly newspapers the “Observer” and the “Chronicle” the motoring section each week recorded some sales of cars, giving the make and owner. This has allowed records to be kept of early registrations and licences.

Dr Hargreaves was an active committee member of the Automobile Club of South Australia and during both world wars he studied the problem of alternative fuels and at the end of World War I he drove his car on a mixture of molasses and petrol. He retired in 1931 but continued to practise as a chemical analyst. Dr William Hargreaves died on 31st March 1959 at his St Peters home.

For more information about this press release or photographs contact June Taylor, Publicity Officer, Birdwood Classic on 0414 359 429 or e-mail jtaylor@micronet.net.au

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