An Unnatural Interest in Public Toilets
I am sure that there are many carers out there who will empathize with me here.
Since Desiree suffered from her stroke about 2 years ago and became confined to a wheelchair, I have found that I have gained a new skill. I can remember where every public toilet is in every shopping centre we visit. Not only that, I know their layouts and what fittings they contain. I find myself making judgements on which loo to visit on the basis of whether they have the grab rails on the left or right, whether there is sufficient room to turn a wheelchair around even whether the hot taps work or not. One time I even avoided a loo because I knew the elevator music would be up too loud and it would be playing Barry Manilow. (Allegedly to keep the local “mall rats” from congregating in the car park)
How did I learn all this you might ask? Well I do spend an inordinate amount of time in them helping Desiree. I have used this time to inspect the fittings, the finishes, how the doors open, why the taps don’t work, why the mirrors are at the wrong level etc. etc. I now consider myself an expert on public toilets.
When it came time to fit out the bathrooms in the Merimbula project I knew exactly what would work and what would not.
In my loo reconnaissance efforts I would write down the brands of the taps, toilet holders, toilet seats, basins even the paper towel dispensers. One name kept coming up. Bradley Australia. I did a bit of ground work and found out that Bradley Australia was a family company based in Milperra new South Wales.
Bradley Australia specialize in bathroom aids for people with disabilities and commercial bathroom fittings.
I cold called the company and ended up talking with Warren Newhouse who was the son of Oss Newhouse the founder. I told him about our project and he was keen to become involved. We will end up fitting out all of our bathrooms with Bradley Australia fittings. These include:
- Grab rails
- Stainless Steel soap dispensers
- Stainless Steel toilet roll holders
- Stainless Steel towel dispensers
- Stainless Steel soap shelves
You can register for their online catalogue by clicking here.