Donnybrook community joins forces to reinvigorate their public toilet facilities, celebrate with town event

A South West community is gearing up for the long-awaited return of a quirky race steeped in the town’s history.

Come Saturday, toilets of all descriptions will be raced down the main drag of Donnybrook in a resurgence of the town’s ‘Dunny Derby’.

The unique race is an old Donnybrook Apple Festival tradition which involves teams racing toilets on wheels over a predetermined track — is making a comeback as part of the community’s Donnybrook Dunny Do Over this year.

It will coincide with the unveiling of a revamped public toilet block in town, driven by the Donnybrook Town Team — established in 2022 as a sub-committee of the Community Resource Centre to engage the community and activate public spaces.

The DDDO will feature the unveiling of the toilet block, the Dunny Derby race, a decomissioned RAC rescue helicopter with a virtual experience, children’s activities, music and food.

DDDO co-organiser Judith Morrisey said the concept started back in 2022 when her and a friend were discussing how boring the toilet block in the centre of town was.

“The friend (Claire Connolly) and I were talking and we had this thought that maybe we could actually do an art installation on the wall but rather than have a muralist come and do it that we would actually have the community do it,” she said.

In 2022, Judith and Claire — as part of DTT — asked people face-to-face what they loved about living in Donnybrook, where 760 reasons from 250 community members were given.

The 760 reasons were turned into a art concept by a professional artist where it was decided that the 21 square metre space would be decorated with community painted panels.

“So this is a community inspired and community painted artwork, so it’s the locals doing it from themselves,” she said.

“It was an amazing result.

“It’s just wonderful seeing the town’s response.”

Ms Morrisey said the event itself was designed for the community to celebrate their success at having come together to pull the project off and hopes it will be the beginning of more community-driven projects.

“Claire and I have been talking about having other artworks around town and this is kind of our first cab off the rank,” she said, “Part of the event will be to get people that attend to put their hands up to do whatever the next project to be.”

“We have some ideas in the background... but our aim is to get the community involved in whatever way is appropriate.

“It’s about community, it’s about conversation and about people knowing they can do something in their own community — it doesn’t always have to be left up to government, we can do stuff on our own.”

The family-friendly event will be held in the town centre on February 25 from 5pm until 8pm.