Matilda the long-lashed kangaroo mascot who starred in the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane now stands outside a Queensland service station.
The mechanical marsupial won international fame when she winked at dignitaries including the Duke of Edinburgh during the opening ceremony at QEII Stadium 36 years ago.
When the Games open on the Gold Coast on Wednesday, Matilda will be where she has been for the past seven years, looming over the Puma Energy fuel stop at Kybong, near Gympie, 160km north of Brisbane.
Matilda the kangaroo winks at the crowd during the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane
Matilda the Commonwealth Games kangaroo was built around a forklift and stood 13m tall
Matilda at her current home near a service station at Kybong, 160km north of Brisbane
Matilda is perhaps better remembered than anything which occurred on the track and field in 1982, enchanting and disturbing audiences with her cheeky winks.
The 13m tall mascot, built around a forklift, completed a lap of QEII Stadium at the 1982 opening ceremony, winking her left eye several times at the crowd including once towards the Duke, who was representing the Queen.
At the completion of the lap, her pouch opened and children representing joeys ran out towards mini trampolines which they then bounced upon.
As the children bounced, paedophile Rolf Harris stood on the tray of a truck with his trademark wobble board and performed an altered version of his hit Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport.
Last year, the ceremony’s producer Ric Birch revealed the man operating Matilda’s head, working her eyes and rotating her neck, was high on cannabis at the time.
Matilda also appeared at the closing ceremony, then hopped off into relative obscurity.
She was installed at Cade’s County Waterpark, later known as Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast, where she greeted holiday makers for almost 20 years before being packed away as the site was redeveloped.
The long-lashed mascot winked at the Duke of Edinburgh in Brisbane’s QEII Stadium in 1982
Entertainer Rolf Harris (left) and the Duke of Edinburgh (right) were other stars of the opening ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, along with Matilda the kangaroo
Matilda was bought by Matilda Fuel Supply in 2011 and moved up to Kybong, near Gympie
Matilda was then bought by the Matilda Fuel chain in 2011, dismantled and moved up to Kybong where she was rebuilt near a lake behind what is now a Puma Energy fuel outlet.
She was back in the limelight briefly last week when the Queen’s Baton Relay passed through Gympie and visited the service station where she stands.
According to the Gympie Times, ‘young students revelling in the festivities gazed at her in wonder as she winked back at them.’
It was welcome attention as the service station was bypassed after upgrades to the Bruce Highway last year.
Puma Queensland retail state manager Gregg Pluis told the Gympie Times having the baton visit the station was a ‘great opportunity’ which ‘turned out really well’.
‘Matilda’s been an icon here since 2011,’ Mr Pluis said.
‘We’ve loved to have her here as part of the local community, so for her to be part of the Commonwealth Games today and to be part of this community that’s really supported the site is really fantastic, and I think everyone’s had a great time.’
This year’s Commonwealth Games mascot is Borobi the blue koala. A competition was held which garnered online suggestions including Lifeguard Larry, Garry the Gecko and Schoolie the Bull Shark.
Borobi the blue koala is the mascot for this year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast