Item Type: Photograph

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Sydney Reference Collection (SRC) - Photographs

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City Jobs

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CSA069766

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Sydney Municipal Council gully flushers, circa 1905

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Unique IDA-00006665SeriesSydney Reference Collection (SRC) - PhotographsDateBetween 1st January 1885 and 31st December 1885Date qualifiercircaFormatPhotograph - PrintDescriptionThis group of junior employees are dressed in Sydney Municipal Council uniforms, with numbered cap badges and SMC collar badges. The boys may be block-boys (junior street sweepers colloquially known as sparrow-starvers) but the equipment they are posing with appears to relate to water supply, a function the Council lost in 1886. Date not known The uniforms are similar to what block-boys were outfitted with in the period 1905-1910, but the water-supply equipment would date the photo to no later than 1885.

The group of boys are probably gully flushers who were employed by the council to cleanse the gully shafts and drains of Sydney's stormwater drainage system. There were 1802 gully shafts in the city in 1902, of which 1182 were connected with water. The gullies were flushed with water by boys, and labourers and carters cleansed the gullies, removing dirt, dead animals and other rubbish which blocked the gullies and drains. In 1902, two boys flushed 120 gullies with water per day.

This photo appeared in the City of Sydney's 2017 exhibition "Our City - 175 Years in 175 Objects" - Item 67 - Building - Sewers - Gully Flushers, c. 1905 (page 87 in exhibition catalogue)
LanguageNo linguistic content - Not applicable (zxx)

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Public access statusRestricted original (digital copy available)

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Source system ID006\006011Alternative IDSRC19

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CollectionCity JobsExhibition - Our CityBoxCSA069766