
The Pegasus: When Did We Stop Believing?
I had the most wonderful conversation with a little boy in the park recently. He proudly told me he was "nearly ten."
It made me smile. At that age, every birthday is a step towards something exciting.
Somewhere along the journey of life, though, we stop looking forward with quite the same wonder. It made me ask myself a question.
When Did I Stop Dreaming Without Limits?
When did I become too grown up, perhaps even too embarrassed, to simply enjoy those magical moments that don't need an explanation?
As we wandered through the Heritage Park, his questions came one after another. They weren't complicated questions. They were simple. Honest. The kind only a child asks.
Standing beneath the dragon in our garden, he looked up and asked, "Are dragons real... or were they real?"
My first instinct was to answer with history.
"Well... we don't really know."
After all, there is Saint George the Dragon Slayer. The Welsh flag proudly carries a magnificent red dragon. The Chinese calendar celebrates the Year of the Dragon. Dragons have appeared in stories, cultures and traditions for thousands of years. Perhaps they existed. Perhaps they didn't. But they have certainly existed in our imaginations, and sometimes that is just as important.
A little later we stopped at the Megalodon display. We spoke about the enormous prehistoric shark and how incredible it was that teeth that size once belonged to a living creature. He had seen a Megalodon tooth for sale at the beach and could hardly believe how big it was. Here was something that really had existed, yet today it belongs only to history.
Then we arrived at the horse sculpture.
His fascination with horses was obvious. I felt the excitement , it was a subject close to my heart. We spoke about ponies, Clydesdales, Arabians and the many breeds that have travelled with mankind across the centuries.
Then came the question that completely caught me off guard.
"But horses couldn't swim all around the world."
I agreed.
He thought for a moment before announcing, with complete confidence,
"That's why they had wings."
Of course.
"Flying horses could go anywhere. Once they were happy where they lived, they didn't need their wings anymore."
Then came the comparison that only a child could make.
"It's like my bicycle. I used to have training wheels. You can't even see they were there now."
For a moment I wasn't standing in the park anymore.
I was a little boy again, looking up at the giant Pegasus perched above the Mobil service station. To my generation, Pegasus wasn't just a logo. It represented adventure, travel, speed and possibility. It fuelled our imaginations long before we understood branding or marketing.
In that instant I realised something.
Pegasus is part of our heritage.
Not because it proves that flying horses once existed, but because it reminds us that imagination has always existed.
Interestingly, the famous Pegasus trademark was first registered by the Vacuum Oil Company in Cape Town in 1911 before becoming one of the world's most recognised symbols through Mobil. It became associated with travel, engineering, innovation and even motor racing. Many enthusiasts will remember the iconic Pegasus emblem, and even James Dean famously displayed Pegasus imagery on his beloved Porsche 356.
Heritage is not only about preserving buildings or remembering dates.
It is about preserving the stories that shaped generations.
Children instinctively ask, "Why?"
Adults often answer, "Because."
Perhaps we should spend a little more time asking "What if?"
As our Heritage Park continues to evolve, one thing has become clear to me.
Pegasus belongs here.
Not because we can prove that flying horses ever lived, but because every generation deserves something that encourages them to dream.
After all...
Every great achievement first took flight in someone's imagination.