Radio star Tim Ross reveals Queen Elizabeth II's shock role in helping invent Aerogard insect repellant
The product was revealed originally to be made for sheep, repurposed for soldiers during war, and later used by none other than Queen Elizabeth II on her first royal tour of Australia.
'So we all know Aerogard… there was a gentleman in the late 1930s who was creating a fly repellent for sheep,' Rosso began.
'Then the guys go to war in the 1940s and they're in the Pacific… they need an insect repellent so that they don't get malaria. So this gentleman changes the formula a bit, and it works.'
But the twist? After the war, the inventor went back to making it for sheep, until the Queen came to town.
'During her 1953 tour, there was concern about her being seen on TV swatting flies. They ring up this guy and say, 'Do you still have that lotion from the war?' And they gave it to the Queen,' Rosso explained. 'A journalist noticed she wasn't swatting flies… and it came out she was wearing something developed by the CSIRO.'
That led to Mortein ringing the CSIRO and asking for the formula, which, in true mid-century public service style, they gave away for free. The result? Aerogard was born and mass-produced, but the original inventor walked away with nothing.
'He got nothing out of it?' Wippa asked in disbelief.
'And I can't even remember his name,' Rosso replied.
The humorous moment ended with Wippa joking, 'Imagine if their slogan was 'If it's good enough for our sheep, it's good enough for the Queen.''
It's a uniquely Aussie origin story that's equal parts innovation, war-time improvisation and royal coincidence, and now you'll never look at that blue can the same way again.
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