David Kerridge has turned his attention Down Under to try to solve his lack of hair on top.

Retired science technician Mr Kerridge, 68, started losing his crown when he was just 26. He tried a variety of treatments and potions but nothing seemed to work.

That was until he got his hands on some Aussie emu oil. After rubbing the magic liquid on to his scalp his hair has started to grow back.

Mr Kerridge, 68, of Lyon Close, Clacton, has been using the oil regularly since September and the results have been promising.

"I had been using it on and off for a couple of years but it wasn't until I retired and had time to pamper myself that I started to use the oil properly by standing it in boiling water," he said.

"I know it's vain but I missed my hair. Now I've got a fuzzy growth on top and it's wonderful.

"I am not saying it would work for everyone - but it has certainly worked for me."

The oil comes from emu fat and is a product with an ancient history - the bird was used by aborigines to treat a host of ailments.

Mr Kerridge - who worked at Colbayns High School, Clacton, and Tendring High School, Frinton - puts his new-found growth entirely down to emu oil.

The product he uses is marketed by Pioneer Trading Company in Tattershall, Lincs, and costs £12.95 a bottle.

Managing director John Ranshaw said: "We make no claims for the product. It sells on reputation and because people reorder it. The sales keep increasing year by year."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.