REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Friday September 17, 1976

A FEATHERED resident of Armrick Ave, Broadbeach had a disturbing split personality trait – one minute she thought she was a magpie and the next, a dog.

Much of her time was spent as a dog, begging to have her belly tickled and to be fed.

This preference for the canine world was rather because although the inside of her head was a dog, her body bore a striking resemblance to a black and white magpie.

The magpie was in fact a magpie with what could be described as a frustrated dog complex.

Three weeks earlier she took up residence in the trees of Armrick Ave and instantly became a hit with local ratepayers.

At a time of year when magpies were dive bombing people because of their protective instincts, this friendly human-home-loving magpie was a welcome change.

Cec and Joyce Dix were two of the residents were we well entertained by the magpie’s comic antics.

They had been coming to the Gold Coast for holidays for the previous 15 years.

When their day was lacking in things to do they relied on the magpie to help them find fun.

“She follows people around their houses like a dog and sometimes you only know she’s there because of the patter of little feet,” Mr Dix said.

“You can whistle to her a certain way and she will roll over like a dog and want to be played with and patted like a dog.

“You only have to whistle and she’ll come out of the trees to you.”