The out-offices

I find it amazing that in Australia we have so many descriptive names, both polite and less so, for what we now regularly refer to as the toilet. 

Reflecting back to Victorian times there were numerous appellations for the place that everyone had to use at various times throughout the day. 

We also have to remember that the facility we use today is far removed in regards to placement as well as character, from what was the norm at the time when the North Sandhurst State School no 1267 was constructed back in 1873. 

The school, according to one source, was sufficiently large to accommodate up to 1000 pupils, although when the children moved into the new weatherboard building, the enrolment was 236. 

All these youngsters and their teachers needed to make use of that certain facility.

Toilets were frequently referred to as outhouses, sometimes they were called the pan house, alternatively the lavatory and surely there are many more names that can come to mind. 

For the practical reason of odours, the outbuilding was located a distance from a residence or work place or in this case the school. 

The receptacle, or pan, held the natural material which was referred to as night soil. 

The reason for its naming was that the contracts let by the then Sandhurst City Council and other like institutions, insisted that the pans be removed and replaced by empty ones commencing after midnight. 

The nightman’s job was not a pleasant one, the work being heavy and exceptionally smelly on their once per week rounds.

Bendigo in those times had a number of “manure depots”, these were located some distance from residential areas.

Some were just over the municipal boundary in neighbouring shires.

There are incidents reported where the night-man had started his round too early when people were still out and about and complaints were made about the smell as the night cart was passing. 

The council threatened to cancel contracts for the night soil removers if they persisted in creating a nuisance for the residents, before they had retired for the evening.

Thomas Reid, the head teacher of the North Sandhurst School, wrote to the secretary of the Education Department on March 29, 1877 saying, “Sir, I have the honour to state that when the nightmen were attending to the out offices of this school last Friday night, three of the pans went to pieces. 

“I ordered three new pans from Mr T. J. Connelly which have been delivered, and I now wish for instructions as to how they are to be paid for. 

“I have the honour to be Sir, your obed-
ient servant, [signed] T. H. Reid, Head Teacher.”

T. J. Connelly was a well known local tinsmith and plumbing supplier, his business was on the corner of High and Forest streets, Bendigo. 

In later years the tinsmith business was known as Campbell and Connelly, the building is still standing and now houses the Imperial Palace Chinese Restaurant.

Mr Svanosio was one of the council night soil contractors. He had carts to take the pans filled with night soil to the various manure depots. 

Some contractors had quite an elaborate cart with pans on three levels and accessed by a series of doors as illustrated by Jason Conn in the accompanying pen drawing.