Further Down the Back is a wonderful tribute to a national symbol the dunny down the back. 'House of Lords', 'Poet's Corner', 'Relief Station'- call it what you will, the great Australian dunny is part of our national heritage. Fred Hillier, international privyologist and dunny sculptor, will take you on a voyage of discovery to the outhouse and back. Fred chronicles in loving detail the history of the loo, analyses its architectural features and recounts dunny folklore. For example, did you know: That the practice of emptying chamber pots into the streets was banned in Paris in 1395 after a passing marquis had his cloak ruined? That the bush dunny seat was often made from one slab of timber, the cut-out centre circle being ideal for use as a breadboard? Or there's the one about the snake that was flushed down the system to reappear in someone else's loo! Fred also documents the many festivals which celebrate the dunny-including the Annual Dunny Ball and the famous Dunny Cram which aims to achieve new world records in fitting the maximum number of people in one outhouse. Lavishly illlustrated with full colour photographs and cartoons by dunny illustration specialist Will Pearce, Further Down the Back is the essential reference guide to everything you ever wanted and needed to know about the Australian dunny.
Author description
Fred Hillier has made a career of researching, documenting and celebrating the Australian dunny. His fascination with the outhouse began in the mid-1970s when working as a surveyor in western New South Wales. He became fascinated by the building skills evident in bush outhouses and in his spare time began sculpting ceramic dunnies. His first collection of dunny stories, Down the Back, has sold over 30 000 copies. He lives in Kootingal near Tamworth, New South Wales.
