Forty years ago this month the Shoalhaven's new, updated lyrebird emblem was revealed - but the design received instant criticism.
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The emblem was designed by artist Len Long and unveiled in December 1979.
The backlash was swift. Critics called it everything from a seagull to a plucked duck, saying it was so short on tail feathers it "risks catching chill in a sensitive place."
To add insult to injury, even the sex of the proudly-plumaged male had been questioned.
But the berated bird was not without friends. After the Shoalhaven and Nowra News published an article about the ruckus in council over the emblem, bird expert John Hobbs hunted up a booked called 'Romance of the Lyrebird'.
The book squashed all doubt about the issue. It showed a picture of a side-on Lyebird that showed Len Long's effort was accurate.
"A lot of people said Len let his head go," strong bird allie and town clerk, Dick Knowles, said.
"But he didn't. His work is authentic and accurate. It's the real thing - not like the old one which was a mixture of a peacock and all sorts of things."
Mr Knowles sang the praises of the lyrebird, which he said is the most intelligent of all birds and a celebrated mimic.
He said Len Long's depiction of it could not be better.
To be fair, John Hobb's book had in it another picture showing the rear-view version of the lyrebird.
It was much more similar to the old emblem which the new bird's critics admired.
In the end, it all came down to a matter of taste.
Information provided by Shoalhaven Historical Society.