Blind Freddy and the night parrot

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The night parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is an elusive and mysterious parrot endemic to Australia. It has been rarely seen or photographed as it is most active at night. It was once thought to be extinct. In recent years there has been photographic and video evidence of the bird’s existence. However one researcher is in deep water because his photo of a supposed nest with two eggs has been deemed a fake. Australian National University ornithologist Penelope Olsen has said that ‘Blind Freddy can see that they're fake eggs’. I’ve heard the expression ‘Blind Freddy could see that’ quite often. But I wondered how the term ‘Blind Freddy’ come about? Have you heard it before? One explanation involves a blind hawker named Freddy who sold small haberdashery items in the inner Sydney area in the 1920s. Despite his condition, he was able to make his way around without any difficulty and knew a great many of his customers by their voice alone. Hence the term came to be used for describing something obvious, so obvious that even Blind Freddy could see it. Isn’t it interesting how these sayings come about? There are very few photos of the night parrot and it isn't particularly colourful so I've added a photo of a western rosella which visits our birdbath quite regularly.