Life in the 50s and 60s
In the 50s... technology advanced rapidly after the war and soon transformed the lives of many Australians. Televisions provided a link to the rest of the world and cars gave people a new mobility that would change the nation's patterns of leisure and living.
In 1956, Melbourne hosted the Olympic Games, putting Australia on the world map.
Women were encouraged to stay at home, raise children and care for their husbands. To assist in the homemaking task, shiny new home appliances promised to transform housekeeping into a delight. Some women challenged this, and stayed employed, but were usually in a low paying job.
Many Australians still considered Britain to be their homeland and proclaimed unwavering loyalty to British culture and values, and thousands rushed to see the queen when she visited in 1954. Australia's cultural ties to Britain, however, would be challenged by an influx of American culture through cinema, radio and television. TV and radio introduced exciting forms of popular culture like rock 'n' roll and allowed it to penetrate Australian life.
Australia needed more people to build and construct and therefore encouraged immigration. In 1950, it was estimated that 170 000 migrants arrived in Australia. By the end of the decade, this figure would reach one million. Most migrants came form Britain, Greece and Italy bringing new food, music, religion and traditions to influence Australian cultural life. Not all people, however, were welcome in Australia during the 1950s. Since 1901, the White Australia Policy had stopped non-white people from migrating to Australia - promoting white, European immigration instead. Throughout the decade, Australia was led by Liberal leader Sir Robert Menzies. He came to power on 10 December 1949 and would go on to become Australia's longest serving Prime Minister.
In the 1960s, more and more Australians began to travel internationally, mostly to America, Europe and Britain. This greater movement of people between Australia and the rest of the world had a big impact on Australian cultural life. For the first time, people from all walks of Australian life began to get first-hand experience of the cultures of other countries. As a result, ideas, fashions, trends and technology from overseas flowed more easily into Australian society.
Clothing broke social traditions and saw the people being able to wear clothing such as denim jeans, which could be worn by both men and women. After decades of suffering through the Great Depression and World War II, the 50s and 60s were prosperous, vibrant years for Australians. Employment was high and people were encouraged to spend their money freely.
The Space Age also began, with the first man walking on the moon!!
FASHION IN CLOTHING AND DECOR
Womens Clothing
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Mens Clothing
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DECOR
The Fifties were an exuberant time. Dynamic designs were influenced by science, space exploration and new and improved technologies. Room and furniture designs were innovative for their time,
yet stayed appealing because of their modernity and classic appeal.
yet stayed appealing because of their modernity and classic appeal.
House furnishings
Colors
There were three major color trends in the 50s; pastel, modern and Scandinavian. Pastel colors that were particularly popular were pink, turquoise, mint green, pale yellow and blue. Modern colors were clean and bright and included vibrant yellow, electric blue, orange, red, black and white. Fabrics Bold designs such as stars, stripes, checks and polka dots came into fashion. As did atomic graphics inspired by space and science like planets, galaxies and the famous “Boomerang” pattern, which were all used on wallpaper, tablecloths, curtains and furniture fabrics. Fabrics with fruit, flowers and abstract designs were everywhere. A heavy, tight-woven cotton fabric called “bark cloth” became available in a range of modern designs (like the atomic prints, but also in floral and tropical prints), and was used for furnishings like curtains, drapery and upholstery (couches, chairs etc). Furniture Ranging from comfortable upholstered traditional furniture, to Scandinavian with light-colored woods and clean lines, to space age, organic shapes (think boomerang-shaped coffee table). Chrome and vinyl chairs paired with chrome-legged tables with Formica tops were both fashionable and durable. |
Decor Accessories Plastic is used as a material for accessories for the first time. Among the things that could be found in a ’50s kitchen were chrome appliances, pastel plastics, enamel-coated or stainless steel canisters and bread bins. Colorful Melamine and melmac dishware and bowls, as well as Tupperware storage containers, were very popular. Lamps were no longer just for practical purposes, but became interior decorating statements with dynamic shapes that were sculptural (shaped like animals such as poodles and gazelles), as well as geometric and abstract (think atomic). These lamps were topped with fiberglass parchment or fabric shades in solids, atomic or geometric prints. |
TRANSPORT
Transport in the 1950s was very important as Australian towns and cities grew. More trains and automobiles were needed to transport people and building supplies to the new suburbs. Road trains, which are large trucks consisting of many trailers, were used to service areas lacking in rail transport.
Entertainment and Music
MUSIC AND RADIO
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AT THE MOVIES
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GAMES! TOYS! PLAY!
PICK UP STICKS
This is a huge classic game from the past! I guess every kid had one! I had one in my time, back in the 70s........
It was a fun game, where you would throw the sticks on the floor or table and then players would take turns in removing one stick at a time without moving the other sticks! If you failed you would loose! The winner was the last player standing! Fun, fun, fun!!!
MARBLES
There wasn't one single boy from the 50s and 60s that didn't have at least a few marbles...... It was the most played "street" game for boys! They would all gather around, each one with their marble set and start playing!
There were many variations of the game, but the most popular was the one where the boys would draw a giant circle on the ground and put their marbles inside. Each boy would take a turn in trying to "knock" their "enemy" marbles out of the circle and collect them.... The winner would be the boy with the most marbles on his back!
Many boys really "gambled" with their marbles and lost them to the other kids!
There wasn't one single boy from the 50s and 60s that didn't have at least a few marbles...... It was the most played "street" game for boys! They would all gather around, each one with their marble set and start playing!
There were many variations of the game, but the most popular was the one where the boys would draw a giant circle on the ground and put their marbles inside. Each boy would take a turn in trying to "knock" their "enemy" marbles out of the circle and collect them.... The winner would be the boy with the most marbles on his back!
Many boys really "gambled" with their marbles and lost them to the other kids!
Tin Humming Top
Working like a top, the aim was to make it spin. Kids would "compete" among themselves to see which one could make it spin for the longest time!
It made a nice whistling noise too if you really knew how to make it spin the proper way.......... Precious!!
Working like a top, the aim was to make it spin. Kids would "compete" among themselves to see which one could make it spin for the longest time!
It made a nice whistling noise too if you really knew how to make it spin the proper way.......... Precious!!
BARBIE
The late 50s saw the birth of the first Barbie! In 1959, Mattel launched the very first Barbie doll! American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
She wore a zebra bathing suit, had red hair and looked very cool!
After Barbie was created, it became every little girl's dream to have one and to look like one.........
Kiddie Record Players
Small, plastic record players that actually worked. Children could get a small collection of their own to play on their very own record player.
RED KITCHEN SET
Little girls back in the 50s and 60s usually would get "domestic" toy gifts, as a reminder that girls were raised to become mothers and housewives........
Kitchen sets were very popular toys for little girls back in the day, and many of them had this classic toy.......
They would play "house" for hours and hours on a row, "cooking" for their family of dolls.
They were cute mommies!!
ERECTOR SET
While the little girls played with their Barbies and kitchen sets, boys played with their erector sets.......
The erector set was a building toy. It consisted of collections of small metal beams with regular holes for nuts, bolts, screws, and mechanical parts such as pulleys, gears, and small electric motors. It was the perfect toy for the future "engineer"...... You could build anything your imagination conceived with your erector set!
The erector set was a building toy. It consisted of collections of small metal beams with regular holes for nuts, bolts, screws, and mechanical parts such as pulleys, gears, and small electric motors. It was the perfect toy for the future "engineer"...... You could build anything your imagination conceived with your erector set!
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Food and Shopping
In the 1950s, traditional British meals, like roast dinners, chops or sausages and vegetables, were the typical dinner for most Australians. Breakfast usually consisted of porridge, toast, eggs, or simple cereals like cornflakes. Food was usually purchased from specialist vendors, bread from a baker, vegetables from a greengrocer, meat from a butcher and other staple items like sugar and flour from a local corner store.
By the 1960s, new American-inspired shopping centres and supermarkets had become common, particularly in the newly-built suburbs. These contained a number of shopping facilities under one roof and markedly changed Australian shopping habits. In the 1960s, American-style, convenient, pre-prepared foods like frozen French fries, and entire frozen dinners became available. These foods were particularly attractive to time-poor women who had recently joined the paid workforce, but were still responsible for the preparation of family meals.
In 1968, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) opened its doors. Kentucky Fried Chicken was Australia's first American-style takeaway store and would soon be followed by other fast food chains. These fast food restaurants would significantly alter Australia's eating habits.
Technology and Gadgets
Consumerism (buying things) became a popular pastime in the 1950s. New gadgets and gizmos announced the future was here. Homemaking, it seemed, was not so bad when you had electric stoves, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, and the like. Women could now concentrate on making a comfortable home for their families, and still have time to have a life outside of the kitchen.
New kitchen gadets became seen as essential.
The 1950s, 60s and 70s saw many more kitchen gadgets. There were electric can openers, coffee makers, hot plates, automatic tea makers, non-stick pans, electric food mixers, liquidisers and portable food slicers. Even though people had these time-saving devices, there was still much to do in the home. During the 60s and 70s, men carried out few household tasks even in families where the woman was working full time.
New kitchen gadets became seen as essential.
The 1950s, 60s and 70s saw many more kitchen gadgets. There were electric can openers, coffee makers, hot plates, automatic tea makers, non-stick pans, electric food mixers, liquidisers and portable food slicers. Even though people had these time-saving devices, there was still much to do in the home. During the 60s and 70s, men carried out few household tasks even in families where the woman was working full time.
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HISOTICAL TIMELINE OF THE 50s and 60s
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