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What does Whyalla’s new baby galah have in common with a submarine, racehorse, fire truck, ferry and a train?
They all now carry the name borne from the internet “McFace” phenomenon.
On the City of Whyalla Facebook site, we asked for name suggestions for the new baby galah that has emerged from the nesting logs at the Ada Ryan Gardens aviaries. We had lots of good suggestions like “Ada” from Leslie Smith and “Ryan” from Bob N Barb Manfield.
There was even a lively debate on radio station Magic FM’s Magic Morning Show on the new name. The Magic FM morning crew put out a call for new names with suggestions including the creative Stephen Squawking, The Godfeather, Lady Galagah, Kanye Nest and Floyd Mayfeather.
But the name that struck a chord with our Facebook friends was Birdy McBirdface suggested by Cameron Mark Sims. This name scored 14 “likes” on our Facebook page and plenty of comment around the council offices.
So, now named Birdy McBirdface (or Birdy Mac for short), this little galah joins an esteemed group of things from around the world.
The “McFace” craze came from an internet poll conducted in England when the British public was polled on a name for a new Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) research vessel. When somebody cheekily suggested Boaty McBoatface the poll melted down with “yes” votes for the quirky name.
While the staid NERC chose not to heed the poll for its research vessel and chose to name the ship the RRS Sir Richard Attenborough, it did concede somewhat and labelled one of its autosub long-range autonomous underwater vehicles Boaty McBoatface.
This sparked a flood of “McFaces” with everything from a Sydney ferry called Ferry McFerryFace to a Sydney horse called Horsey McHorseface, a fire truck called Firey McFireface and a train called – you guessed it - Trainy McTrainface.
So, Whyalla has joined the trend and we now have a bird we can call Birdy McBirdface.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful of Sir Richard Attenborough could come down and do one of his famous whispering wildlife pieces with little Birdy Mac.
Go down to Ada Ryan Gardens and see if you can spot Birdy McBirdface for yourself.
PICTURES: Birdy McBirdface at the Ava Ryan Gardens aviaries and, below, Boaty McBoatface, Firey McFireface, Horsey McHorseface and Ferry McFerryface.
