The Big Pelican

Affectionately called ‘Pelican Pete’ by locals, the pelican sculpture was created in 1977 to be part of the Council float in the Festival of the Waters street parade. The Council’s emblem at the time was a pelican (but has since been changed to a Boronia).

It was originally designed by the Overseer, Jim Woods, and built by the signwriting staff at the Council’s workshop for Rotoract (a Rotary program young adults). Made of paper mache over a metal frame, the Big Pelican was able to rotate its head, blink its eyelashes, open and shut its bill, flap its wings, and wiggle its tail when operated by two people sitting inside the body using levers, pulleys, and a cable. There is also a seat upon its back to allow passengers to ride and wave to crowds.

The pelican was a huge success and later featured on post cards and other tourist material as ‘Percy the Pelican’, believed to be named after Mr Percival from Storm Boy, a book by Colin Thiele that had been released as a movie in 1976.

The Big Pelican participated in many parades over the years but has also required repair a number of times. It was not originally waterproof and one time it capsized off a pontoon into the Noosa River.

Affectionately called ‘Pelican Pete’ by locals, the pelican sculpture was created in 1977 to be part of the Council float in the Festival of the Waters street parade. The Council’s emblem at the time was a pelican (but has since been changed to a Boronia).

Girls riding in the back of Pete the Pelican during the Festival of the Waters street parade, 1985

It was installed as a static display in front of the Noosa Lakes Motel on Hilton Terrace (now Noosa Lakes Resort) in the 1980s.

During the 1990s the Big Pelican was acquired by the owners of Pelican Boat Hire and moved to the roadside of Gympie Terrace. It has since become a beloved meeting place by locals. Local children’s author, Wendy Alice Wareing, turned him into the character Peter P. Pelican in her book, I can see the colour and lights of Noosa. The Big Pelican was repaired once more so that it could be used in street parades again but was returned to its place next to Pelican Boat Hire in Apex Park after the Gympie Terrace foreshore redevelopment in 2000.