THE Bay’s favourite local celebrity, Eric the Emu, has inhabited his iconic, often overgrown and flooded roadside paddock, since he was a chick – initially alongside his sister, Erica.

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Erica was seemingly discontent with her surroundings and became notorious for her frequent escapes.

She became an ongoing concern for commuters who reported the lone emu wandering near McDonalds along Nelson Bay Road at Fern Bay.

Erica was a potential roadkill, until rangers from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Port Stephens Council called Kent Sansom from Oakvale Wildlife Park.

Kent found Erica disoriented and repeatedly pacing the roadway, without returning to nearby paddocks.

He agreed to rehome the road runner, taking her to the Salt Ash farm stay sanctuary where she could enjoy the company of fellow emus and visitors alike.

Eric remains in a paddock on his own on Nelson Bay Road.

Eric and Erica arrived in Port Stephens approximately eight years ago when a local farmer brought home some emu hatchlings he had found on the roadside in western NSW.

Eric settled happily in his surroundings and is often seen watching traffic, standing in one location for hours on end.

There was a rumour he once had a girlfriend and that the reason he spends so much time at the fence line is because that’s where their nest was situated and he laments the loss of the unhatched family.

There are also stories he has been charged by a bull and bossed around by cattle.

Affectionately holding the moniker “Old Man Emu”, he was catapulted to further fame, when Lauren Davidson took a photo of him waterlogged during tumultuous weather.

Eric’s apparent distress made NBN News, transforming him from just a humble emu into a renowned Port Stephens mascot.

Many locals forward sightings to family interstate or overseas, having grown up playing the classic game of Eric “spotto”.

Oakvale Farm confirms that Eric displays “typical emu behaviour choosing to remain a solitary creature, as emus do not require companionship to thrive”.

Nina Morris, president of Wildlife In Need of Care (WINC) said that they still receive calls from drivers, describing Eric as being “stuck in the fence or looking distressed when floodwaters rush his paddock.”

Emus are strong swimmers though, and Eric demonstrates his ongoing content, roaming freely in his home paddock, steering clear of hazards, and the adjacent thoroughfare.

Eric is often described as “dancing when it rains”.

He has been heard to communicate with his fan base through head turns and expressive grunts, booms and drums that originate from his inflatable neck sack.

If you’re lucky, you will catch a glimpse of Eric, living his best life in his paddock.

By Jacie WHITFIELD