Introducing ~ Geoff Wilkinson Committee Member and Area Representative for Southampton

I was born during the Second World War at Folly Farm, Berkshire, and my mother having been taken there by bus with several other expectant mothers from the old Maternity Unit at Southampton Borough Hospital.

As a young child I can still remember hearing the Air Raid Sirens and running to our shelter at the bottom of our garden in Woolston. I can also remember hearing the bombs exploding in the area and my father filling up the bath with water in order that he could use our stirrup pump to put out any fire that might have occurred.

I attended our local infants/junior/secondary school and had hoped to join the Royal Marines as a musician, but my mother and father would not sign the papers for me despite my having passed the entrance exam.

One of my first jobs was with the Royal Automobile Club, working at Southampton docks, with the job title Assistant Port Officer. Together with other officers I dealt with the importation and exportation of members' motor vehicles. After a few years I joined Southampton Corporation Transprt as a Bus Conductor and eventually went on to become a bus driver. My wage as a conductor was about £6.00 a week. Once I had passed my Public Service Vehicle Test I had another 40 hours of driving a bus in service with a more experienced driver observing (this was in my own time and unpaid) and in addition to my daily work. Eventually my wage increased to £7.00. I met my wife, Carol, whose father was also a bus driver and local Branch Secretary of the T&GWU. We married in 1965 and eventually had two children, David and Peter. Also during 1965, together with a couple of other drivers, I joined Southampton Ambulance Service as a driver/attendant. I stayed with the ambulance service until the 'winter of discontent' dispute during 1976, when I resigned from the ambulance service and returned to bus driving.

In 1988 I was involved in a non-blameworthy accident whilst at work and, following major neuro-surgery and months of painful treatment, was medically retired due to the serious spinal injury I had sustained. The rest is history. One of the saddest things is the fact that I have never been able to play on the carpet with our four grandchildren.

Following a local newspaper report during 1995 in which I had, as a wheelchair user, complained about parking for disabled people, I was made aware of the Orange Badge Network. After contacting George Newson and Wally Bowdler, I became one of the first representatives. I recall there were two others, plus George and Wally. After about six months I was asked to become a committee member and subsequently obtained the title of Senior Representative, dealing successfully with all sorts of problems in the U.K. Unfortunately then stress and strain took its toll on the physical side of my health, and I eventually reverted back to being a local representative, having undergone further surgery on my spine.

Over the years I have dealt with so many cases, both in my area and numerous others. Not a week goes by without being asked by Head Office (or, in some cases, other representatives) for advice. I still don't profess to know it all, but the testament is when paid local authority employees 'phone me, asking all sorts of questions about various aspects of the Orange Badge Scheme, including the latest information on the Blue European Badge. I have built up a substantial amount of correspondence with various Government Offices appertaining to the Orange Badge Scheme, together with a cabinet full of Road Traffic/Transport Acts and various other Regulations and Acts, including all the Statutory Instruments relating to The Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicle Regulations). I have also collected/purchased several other books on various aspects of the law, plus books that deal with access issues, including several on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Despite not enjoying good physical health and doing most of my work lying down, in constant pain, I still try and attend local Council meetings and attend some of the OBN committee meetings. Thanks go to my wife, who has to give up her spare time to accompany me on long journeys (for without her care and attention, I most certainly would not be able to do what I do. She really is one in a million). I enjoy what I do and get a lot of satisfaction from taking up the numerous problems members and other people contact me about. I have heard all the excuses/reasons why someone should not have been issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice or Penalty Charge Notice, and been called all sorts of names when I have had to inform them they acted unlawfully. Sometimes I am left wondering if the person should really be driving, or how they met the criteria for being issued with an Orange Badge. There is so much more I could write about and would most certainly have no problem filling our Newsletter. May I conclude that, despite all the problems that have occurred during the time I have been with the Network, we now have a good team. I am in no doubt that there is a great need for an organisation like ours to advise members on the correct use of the Orange Badge.