Page 167 - Demo

165As we all know, Australia is a sunburnt country and, with that sort of label, it%u2019s little surprise that it%u2019s also prone to drought. Australians have come up with all sorts of nifty ways to save water, like drinking beer instead and installing those horrific%u00a0 water-saving showerheads that strip every skerrick of joy from what should be one of life%u2019s great pleasures. Another true and trusted water-saving trick was putting a brick in the cistern of the toilet, which limited how much water it took to fill it. However, this type of activity wasn%u2019t for everyone, so Caroma, with the aid of a grant from the Victorian and South Australian governments, developed the world%u2019s first dual-flush toilet. This handy device involves a whole bunch of technical wizardry taking place in the cistern to create one button for poos and another for wees. For those interested in the technical side of things, the full flush was originally 11 litres and the half flush was 5.5 litres. This handy invention was just another feather in the cap of the South Australian manufacturer, whose innovation journey started when the company%u2019s founder, Charles Rothauser, created the world%u2019s first plastic disposable hypodermic syringe at his Adelaide factory.It all seems quite straightforward today, with dual-flush toilets now compulsory in all states and territories, but when the new unit made its way onto ABC TV for the Prince Philip Prize, host Ita Buttrose asked if she %u2018needed a book of instructions to make it work%u2019. Designer Bruce Thompson jumped in and explained how the two buttons worked, while a smiling Prince Philip looked on. The dual flush was found to save around 32,000 litres a year, and it achieved widespread acceptance in Australia. Then overseas markets beckoned, particularly Europe.Despite the common sense of the famed dual-flush toilet, it%u2019s an idea that can ba%u00a0 le Americans, many of whom are still living in the dark ages of the single flush.YEAR 1980DESIGNERS David McNeil and Bruce ThompsonMANUFACTURER CaromaThis handy device involves a whole bunch of technical wizardry to create one button for poos and another for wees.