Ah, the 70s! It was a time filled with joy and laughter, with Gobstoppers and Conversation lollies, All Day suckers, and Fruit Tingles!

Many of us would look forward to the Curiosity Show every Friday afternoon and wake up early on a Saturday morning to watch The Thunderbirds.

We’d also get a little whiff of the classic scents of Cologne No. 4711 and Tabac. They bring up such childhood feelings of joy and glee that we look to relive daily.

But out of all the iconic items that many Aussies remember so fondly, there's one that especially sticks with us - and not just metaphorically.

We’re of course talking about the wonderful Perkin’s Paste!

One of the most iconic school supplies in Australia is Perkin’s Paste. Credit: Facebook/Old Shops Australia.

It was an essential school supply that many 70s schoolkids used to glue all their artwork, notes, and homework together.

This famous glue became so popular in classrooms that it earned itself the title of being ‘Australia’s favourite paste’.

The smell of the paste has also become etched into our memories. There are many who can still remember it, sitting at their desks as the teacher gave directions on how it was to be used!

Unfortunately, Perkin’s Paste was discontinued in the mid-80s, so it’s no surprise that news of the old-school paste sent a wave of nostalgia amongst people who grew up with it.

Social media reactions to the paste have been overwhelming after one user shared a photo of the school supply.

Sharing on the Old Shops Australia Facebook group, the user wrote: ‘That smell brings back memories. Best Glue ever!’

Many people claimed that the paste brings back so many memories from their school days. Credit: Reddit.

The post captured the attention of more than 9,000 users, who shared their memories with the then-popular paste.

One person wrote: 'We started glue sniffing in the 70s but didn’t realise it.’

‘The must-have school essential!’ another raved.

A third chimed in: ‘Loved the smell. Getting ready to do a project. Great anticipation to start!‘

Many others pointed out how some people use the glue in a different way…

One user asked: ‘But seriously who didn’t taste it?’

‘Used to love eating it!’ another replied.

‘Good thing this stuff was non-toxic. I knew heaps of kids that used to eat it!’ a third added.

Another recalled: ‘I went to Regents Park Primary school and sat next to a guy named Wayne Perkins and he used to eat it as it was his last name.’

Others shared how they played with the glue back when they were attending school, with one person writing: ‘I would paint the palm of my hand with the brush it came with and then waited till it dried and peeled it off like skin.’

And while many said that it ‘tasted good’, with others claiming that it ‘tasted like lemonade’, some were not impressed…

One comment read: ‘I ate some and it tasted awful.’

Meanwhile, others joked about how tasting the iconic paste was actually part of ‘Aussie tradition’.

One user joked: ‘It was part of our diet and was non-toxic.’

‘Eating small amounts of Perkin's Paste was a "rite of passage" in most Australian Primary Schools during the 1970s,’ another claimed.

Key Takeaways

• Perkin’s Paste was an essential school supply widely used in the 70s in Australia, earning itself the title of 'Australia's favourite paste'.
• News of the old-school paste sent a wave of nostalgia amongst people who grew up with it, prompting a strong reaction on social media.
• Some people fondly recalled the taste of Perkin's Paste, with some claiming it 'tasted good' or 'like lemonade'.
• Others shared how they used to play with Perkin's Paste, such as painting their hands with the brush provided and peeling it off like skin when it dries out.

These days, the younger generation doesn’t seem to have to worry about eating the glue - instead, they can just focus on the fascinating learning that comes with attending school in the 21st century.

Nevertheless, the memories of the ’70s are sure to stay with us forever - especially those of the beloved Perkin’s Paste!

Have you used Perkin’s Paste during your school years? Better yet, what were your favourite memories of the 1970s? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[Gsr]

I can remember the smell of Perkins paste. We used clag as well. I remember using pens with knibs and inkwells, blotting paper, carbon paper to make copies, hb pencils, wooden rulers that smelt nice, soft rubbers, desks with a slot along the top for pens and pencils to go in and a hole for the inkwell to sit down into so it couldn’t spill. Seats with cast iron ends and a folding seat to sit on, fold it out sit down, fold it up when not being used. I remember some of the boys flicking ink from the pens with knibs at the teachers back when he was writing on the blackboard, and I remember them getting 6 cuts of the cane across the hand for doing it. I remember using a fountain pen in high school, it had to be filled up with ink using a lever on the side and also had a knib. I still have one of my fountain pens. U could make different thickness letters by using the front, half the front or just a side of the knib. Was a must when I learnt shorthand after leaving school. Another skill that is long lost to technology along with typing on a typewriter. I really must write all my memories down in a book for the kids and grandkids so they get an insight into what life was like before all this modern technology appeared. I remember working in a motel and making and receiving bookings via a facsimile machine that you typed a message on and sent it off to another motel, incoming messages were received on a piece of paper, it was like the machine was typing it as it came through, the paper popped up and I tore it off when it finished. I remember we used to sloosh water containing phenyl around the wooden floor in our country classroom and along the verandah every Friday afternoon as we left, on Monday morning the phenyl smell was still in the classroom and lingered for a day or so depending on how many windows we could open due to the weather.

 

[Kimrus]

OMGoodness, I was only talking about this to my granddaughters and described the taste. We called it pecks paste you know like that devilled ham or anchovette. Us kids loved it and we used it on everything including putting some on others hair, clothing. I can remember my mother putting a limit on it. She was so fed up buying it for our school projects and little did she know we were eating it