IT was a time when students were force-fed free milk and ETA made peanut butter a few streets over.
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Going to school in Hamilton in the 1950s holds plenty of nostalgia for Hunter historian Doug Saxon.
When Hamilton Public School asked him to write something for its 150th anniversary he said he got "a bit carried away".
The result was a book Hamilton: Memories of Life and School in the 1950s - Mr Saxon's 10th book.
One of the book's treasures is the only known photo of the Hamilton Public School building, which burnt down in the 1970s.
Mr Saxon said Hamilton had a large manufacturing sector in the 1950s, which had since been replaced by cafes and restaurants.
At school, there was the headmaster who had been in boxer Les Darcy's corner and allowed students to resolve disputes by putting on boxing gloves.
There was also the eccentric deputy who rewarded students with a drink from the fictional 'caramel bubbler'.
Mr Saxon's book is available from Hamilton Public School for $15.
