A plate by any other number would look the same*.....

(* apologies to William Shakespeare)

A recent post from fellow blogger Andrew about personalised number plates for cars triggered a memory for me from the 1980s.

Personalised number plates had recently been introduced by the State government and having moved back to New South Wales after living in the Australian Capital Territory for five years I decided to apply for plates with my initials when it was time to register my car in the state. They were the only type of personalised plates offered at that time. I applied for VB000 and was told that this number plate was already taken. I decided on VB111 instead which I was told was available. It would take about six weeks for the plate to be produced.

(As an aside, I believed at the time that number plates were produced by prisoners in gaols. Was that true and, if so, is it still the case?)

Weeks later I was told my plates were ready for collection. As I could not take time off work to collect them my father went on my behalf. He rang me from the Motor Registry and asked whether I had ordered motor cycle plates. Why did he ask that I wondered. Well, it was motor cycle size plates that had been produced.

Of course, motor cycle size plates were not appropriate so I had to reorder plates for my car but my father was told they could no longer be VB111 as this number was now taken by the motor cycle plates. This seemed unnecessarily bureaucratic to me but the registry was insistent.

What other number would suit me? By then I didn't care so I left it for the registry to decide. In the end the number plate they produced for me was VB234.

The number 234 had no specific relevance for me but people would often ask me what was the significance of the number. In the end I just made up an answer; 'it is my highest ten pin bowling score' I lied. That seemed to satisfy all enquirers.

I have long since given away using personalised number plates.