Today I’m feeling a little nostalgic, so I decided to go on a hunt to seek out as many of your memories from the 50s and 60s that I could find. I asked my mum; I asked my dad; and I got the in-laws in on it too and we came up with the most fantastic list of things that people of the 50s and 60s in Australia will surely remember with fondness.
And when you think about it, many of these things will never be known to younger generations now the world has changed so much.
But more than just reading my insights and looking at the pictures; I want you to share today. Please share on the Facebook page the pictures of the things that you find most memorable; and tell us in the comments what memories come flooding back when you look at these.
Peppermint Bullseyes – How much was it for a bag when you were a little kid at the corner store?
First published in 1945, Pippi Longstocking was a staple of every young girl’s life in the 50s and 60s… Have you taught your grandchildren about her?
Does the soundtrack to Happy Days play in your head whenever you see a picture of the cast like this… And do you think about The Fonze, or Chachie or who else?
Viewfinders… The olden day iPod for the kids born in the 1950s and 1960s. Did you have one; and how many film strips did you have for yours?
Peter Rabbit – No childhood would have existed without him. In fact I still have an heirloom set of early editions from my Grandparent’s old bookshelf.
How about SPAM? It was an afternoon delicacy for my granddad, and therefore something everyone in the house grew quite used to as it was so important to cheap dining of the era.
Ladies in aprons – every woman in my family wore an apron in the 50s, 60s and 70s I think. And they were beautiful too. Do you remember your mother having a swag of beautiful homemade aprons or bought from fetes and fairs?
Sketch and Lift – I am assured by my mum that there was always one of these for long car trips as a child.
It came along a bit later, but Grease was crucial to the lives of almost every single person who grew up in the 50s and 60s. Which was your favourite character?
Mother-daughter dresses. Do you remember when this was the most fashionable way to go out and about?
A TV that was a standalone piece of furniture. Put one of these puppies in front of your grandkids and they’d probably have no idea what it is. What year did you get your first TV?
Rollerskates – Real, strap on ones that we skated on the path in, and enjoyed very often.
Your own personal record player.
Pinning our curls in place with bobby pins to have them set in place, and covering them with a net to go to bed at night, so we’d wake with beautiful curls.
A public telephone with a dial and a coin slot. No one in this generation will ever know what one of these was.
Doing the twist, come on baby – the 50s, 60s and 70s would never have been the same without it.
The state of the art kitchen radio, AM only.
Paper dolls that you popped or cut out and dressed or redressed in outfits for hours. It was the ultimate in girls’ entertainment.
Lava lamps – particularly in the teenage years.
Cap guns – loud shootin, gun powder-smelling ones with sheets of red cap paper
Glass marbles – ones that looked really special and we could collect and swap as commodities.
Pennies – and how much you could get for a penny at the local sweet store.
Heading to Queensland for our holidays – they make it look so beautifully inviting.
Musk lifesavers.
The Bee Gees: Do you remember The Bee Gees as youngsters, or just as an older person?
The airline we all so fondly knew: TAA, long gone now. My mother in law was a hostess with them. Did you used to fly TAA?
Sewing patterns – making your own clothes, budgeting your money to stretch for a special piece of fabric that you could cut to the perfect shape and tailor to your own body. Such a sense of achievement in sewing back then.
Firecrackers were legal and so much fun, in some places.
And cars… real, tough, grunty cars, specially made for Australia like this Ford Prefect A493A Coupe Utility
Which of these things brought back the most nostalgia for you? I can’t wait to hear from you today with a bit of Sunday joy.
