Inventor John Ward marks the 50th anniversary of his Hai Karate talcum powder Christmas gift

Madcap inventor John Ward marks a special anniversary for his now-50-year-old bottle of talcum powder...

One of the eagerly anticipated elements at this time of the year is the handing over of presents from well-meaning people who appreciate you (or perhaps wonder what drove them to actually go out and look for something that defies logic or reasoning). As the saying goes ‘it’s the thought that counts’ which, in some cases, makes you tend to marvel at.

I think, or I like to think, that somebody who puts care, thought and due diligence into choosing something appropriate to the recipient is commendable. Plus it cuts out the waste and hopefully not seeing it in a charity shop a few weeks later once the fuss has died down.

My ex-mother-in-law was a keen gardener. In the summer months she would stand out in it staring at the neighbours and what they were doing - but this was only if her front window was not available or out of action due to perhaps having the armrests on the window sills re-upholstered.

Based on that I tried to buy her a plant that she would appreciate but, sadly, my search was in vain as nobody had one in stock. Some seemed lost on my inquiry although one assistant took my phone number and said he would ring when he had one come in.

Sadly he never rang and, to this day, I still regret not being unable to get her a triffid (actually a triffid-munchus). Although she is no longer with us I feel it’s what she would have wanted plus the breed being quite rare (the plant) she would have been captivated in the ‘one-upmanship’ feature of knowing that.

So I did the same as possibly millions of others may well have done in such circumstances - bought bath salts, industrial strength in the handy fifty kilo weight container size with handy fold-out pouring spout plus matching shovel and dispensing gauntlets.

Never let it be said I didn’t try. My mum, of the people for the people, always said I was a ‘trying child’.

Anyway, by sheer coincidence, this year marks the anniversary of sorts of a container of talcum powder that I still own and use which is now fifty years old (the date is on the base in basic terms) - that I was given as a Christmas present in nineteen seventy-three from mum.

You may be wondering, of course, what a mere child of that era was being given such an adult type gift but I think we can safely tick the box marked ‘Forward Planning’ to cover that minor point up.

For those of a technical mindset it’s a 100 gram size of ‘Hai Karate’ that came in a ‘gift pack’ box thing with a bottle of aftershave that was then the standard gents gift fodder.

The actress Valerie Leon used to promote the aftershave in assorted, now iconic, television adverts. She never said a word, just careered along after supposedly getting a whiff of the stuff on assorted wearers as things bit the dust in her wake - so quite powerful stuff but, oddly, the bottle didn’t carry any health warnings.

I realised I still had this cosmetic artefact from said year - in a used state, possibly not yet into the ‘Antiques Roadshow’ category. Believe it or not it still has that characteristic aroma still as the cap is quite air-tight.

Those with a keen eye may have noticed I wrote ‘for its intended purpose’ as I have used it for other more mundane reasons – such as when repairing the kids bicycle tyre punctures some years ago.

I used it when repairing the inner-tube before putting it back into the tyre and inflating it. It served the same purpose as French chalk that was commonly used, and perhaps still is, to stop the repaired patch sticking to the tyre and possibly causing more problems.

So I started using the talc when I ran out of said French chalk in my puncture kit and basically the ‘Hai Karate’ was a substitute and it worked ok, although with one minor drawback.

It was noticeable at times that if the kids left a cycle outside against a wall etc with a repaired tyre, some members of the local canine section tended to sniff around it and then relieve themselves on said wheel and tyre. I like to think that the delightful Valerie Leon never had this ‘experience’ happen to her.

I will light a candle, sited on a humble doughnut, to mark this momentous occasion as a form of celebration of this milestone for gentleman’s talcum powder and cycle inner tube repair additive that, fifty years, on still is doing sterling service.

What’s the oldest Christmas gift you still own? Tell us in the comments below or email victoria.fear@iliffepublishing.co.uk