A creature born when George Washington was still president, surviving to witness the dawn of World War I. This was not a tortoise or a whale, but a sulphur-crested cockatoo named Cocky Bennett.
By the time he reached his final years, he was completely bald, boasted a beak that twisted like a corkscrew, and spent his days screeching sailors’ insults at hotel patrons. For decades, this featherless marvel presided over the Sea Breeze Hotel at Tom Ugly’s Point in Sydney, becoming one of Australia’s most famous and unusual celebrities.
Seven Trips Around the Globe
Cocky Bennett’s life began in 1796. For the first 78 years of his existence, he lived a life of high adventure aboard a ship captained by George Ellis. Together, the man and the bird reportedly circumnavigated the globe seven times. Cocky absorbed the rough language and rowdy atmosphere of 19th-century maritime life, a chaotic education that would define his later vocabulary.
When Captain Ellis died in the Solomon Islands at the age of 87, the bird was bequeathed to the captain’s nephew before eventually finding a permanent home with Joseph and Sarah Bowden, who later moved to the Sea Breeze Hotel.
The Tyrant of Tom Ugly’s Point
At the hotel, Cocky Bennett became a fixture. Afflicted by Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease, he lost his plumage over time until he resembled a plucked chicken. His beak grew continuously, becoming so long and curved that it pressed against his chest, requiring regular trimming so he could eat mashed food.
Despite his frailty, he ruled the front verandah from his cage. When other birds harassed him, he would squawk, “One at a time, gentlemen, please.” His most famous lament, often shrieked while flapping his naked wings, was, “If I had another bloody feather, I’d fly!”
Raising Funds and insulting Dignitaries
Sarah Bennett, the publican, turned Cocky’s fame into a force for public good. She attached a collection box to his cage to raise money for the St. George Cottage Hospital. Visitors, amused by the bird’s patter and grotesque appearance, donated generously.
The funds purchased three hospital beds, which bore plaques inscribed “Cocky Bennett Cot.” However, his charity did not sweeten his disposition. In one reported incident, when a Governor’s wife raised a cup of tea to her lips, Cocky shattered the decorum by screaming, “Take your great beak out of that!”
A National Phenomenon
When Cocky Bennett finally died on May 26, 1916, at the estimated age of 120, his passing was treated as a major news event. The Sydney Morning Herald published an obituary for the “venerable cockatoo,” acknowledging his century-spanning life.
Following his death, his body was preserved by a taxidermist and remained with the family for years.