Have you seen the orange emu around the electorate?

Perhaps you’re wondering what the deal is with all the orange emus popping up around the electorate? Well, it’s become like a “secret handshake” for Voices of Farrer members and judging by the hundreds upon hundreds that we’ve cut out (by hand) and painted (also by hand), they appear to be a hit!

Voices of Farrer endorsed Michelle Milthorpe as the community-backed Independent Candidate for Farrer. Thus, when you see the orange emus hanging out around the electorate, know that they are representing support for Michelle’s Campaign for the federal seat of Farrer. 

Visit Michelle Milthorpe's Website >

But perhaps you are still wondering, why the emu?  

“Why the emu?” is a question we get asked a lot and trust us, the emu will grow on you! 

  • Emus are found all across Farrer - like our followers.

  • In some areas they’re not overly common but if you look hard enough, you will find one. 

  • Emus embody what Voices of Farrer is trying to achieve; they walk together with strength and grace to a better future. The are most famously known as one of the native fauna on our Coats of Arms adorning our Federal Parliament and many of us may have heard 'they can't walk backwards'. 

  • They’re highly inquisitive and interested in what is going on around them and can communicate with each other across great distances. Their booming, drum like noises can be heard from 2kms away (which is more reliable than a mobile phone call in some areas of Farrer!).

  • Their silhouette is unmistakable and certainly stands out in a crowd, especially if they’re amongst a mob of sheep. They have two eyelids: one for blinking and one to keep the [bull] dust out - certainly useful in the political landscape!

  • Emu eggs are like giant avocados, with shells that are blackish-grey on the outside.  If you gently carve them back, the layers in the shell vary in colour from sea green through to pale blue.  One emu egg is the equivalent of 12-15 chicken eggs (great value!). For the foodies amongst us, a sponge cake made with emu eggs is deliciously rich and creamy - if you haven’t tried one, you are definitely missing out.

  • In our sky is an emu constellation, Gugurmin, which has special significance for our First Nations peoples and their ancestors - the change in it during different times of the year helped guide them where they needed to be and about what they needed to do.

  • Lastly (and we all know the saying about not mentioning the war but we’re going to mention it anyway), they won the war - google it!