ERIC Holland never expected the media frenzy after he hand delivered his photo of a goanna on the side of his house to the front counter of The Border Mail last week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The picture of the five-foot goanna went viral online after being posted on The Border Mail Facebook page on Thursday.
“What amazed me was the continuity, I thought it was just going to be a one second wonder but it just never bloody stopped,” Mr Holland said.
The picture received more than 8500 likes and 3000 shares on The Border Mail’s Facebook page.
At one point, it was the highest trending story in Australia, overtaking Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian and Game of Thrones.
The story was picked up by a long list of Australian national media and even appeared on overseas sites including CNN London and The New York Daily.
“I think it’s tripped a lot of people’s imagination overseas,” he said.
“I think a lot of them think there are kangaroos running around the streets over here.”
“A lot of them asked me if there were many goannas in my yard and I had to tell them, no sorry darling, it’s not like that.”
“It’s a small world that’s for sure,” he said.
“My grandson told me to make the most of it because come Monday you’ll be feather dusters in the wind.”
Mr Holland said the phone rang non-stop from radio stations and newspapers all over the country after the photo went online.
“I was flooded with phone calls on Friday to a point where it was a nuisance,” he said.
“It was a novelty at first but in the end I went fishing with one of my mates just to get away, but even then my mobile went off a few times while we were on the water.”
Mr Holland, a retired venue manager from Parramatta in Sydney, said he received a surprise phone call from an old army friend he lost touch with over the years.
“He told me that he was sitting down having a cup of coffee and he heard me on one of the radio stations up in Sydney,” he said.
“He said as soon as he heard my voice he thought that must be Eric and I thought, I must be a pain in the bum for him to still remember me after 40 years.”
A The Border Mail poll asking the public for suggestions to name the Thurgoona goanna received more than 1000 votes.
The winning name was Larry the goanna with honorable mentions to Thor-goona and Joanna.
Mr Holland moved to Thurgoona more than 18 years ago with his wife Robyn who died a few years ago.
While living in Thurgoona, he has enjoyed hobbies such as photography and making model planes.
