Sam Kekovich on Australia Day

Sam Kekovich, ambassador for lamb in Australia, is calling for Australia Day to be abolished in his 2008 address to the nation. He is calling for the national day, celebrated on January 26, to be replaced with Australia Week. This year he’s taking a swipe at well known footballers Andrew Johns and Ben Cousins, making a snide remark about New Zealand’s prime minister Helen Clark, and made references to APEC, horse flu and the Nauru refugee centre.

Kekovich, a former AFL star, sits behind a desk in a variety of Australian settings, backed up by children in what appears to be a takeoff from the Qantas TV ad campaign, “I still call Australia home”. Click on the image below to play the video.

Sam’s Script

“My fellow Australians, It is my solemn duty to inform you that it’s time to abolish Australia Day.
Our annual lamb fest hasn’t stopped unAustralianism racing through the land like horse ‘flu through a Japanese jockey club. For example, if I see another binge-drinking, pill-popping, powdersniffing footballer making a tearful television apology, I’ll blow a fuse.
Australia Day has had its day. We need Australia Week – a seven day lamb-athon to properly celebrate our great nation. Instead of one public holiday, we need seven. Instead of one lamb barbie, we need 21 lamb meal opportunities – not including snacks.
Which imbecile thought one day was long enough anyway? Look at the Olympics, Oktoberfest, the Turkish Oiled Wrestling Festival – even APEC gets a week, and that’s just a bunch of blokes in funny shirts (apart from Helen Clark, who does a passable impersonation of a bloke anyway).
The placard-waving, police-bashing, weed-worshippers may protest about it, but it’s nothing a few blasts from a water-cannon can’t fix – they could do with a wash.”
And if they’re still too unAustralian to chomp a few chops with the rest of us, send them to Nauru. The Refugee Processing Centre has plenty of palm trees they can hug.

“I’ll be petitioning our new PM to officially recognise Australia Week. If you still call Australia home, stack the fridge full of lamb, take the week off, and celebrate with me. Any boss that won’t let you is a bum. Just chuck a week of sickies instead – what could be more Australian than that? So don’t be unAustralian. Serve Lamb this Australia Week. You know it makes sense. I’m Sam Kekovich.”

The annual speech has become a regular part of the Meat and Livestock Australia campaign to promote the use of lamb, developed at BMF, Sydney. The 90 second television commercial airs from Sunday January 13, supported by five 45 second online state addresses that will be available on Yahoo!7. Point of sale and PR activities have also been built into the campaign.

Credits

The Australia Week campaign was developed at BMF, Sydney, by executive creative director/art director Warren Brown, art director Jun Harada, copywriter Dennis Koutoulogenis, strategic planner Gerry Cyron, GAD Julie Burke, account director David Flanagan, account manager Michelle Bradfield, agency producer Louise Hodgson.

Filming was directed by The MacRae Brothers via Orange Whip Films, with producer Alex Mooney.

Editor was Danny Tait at The Tait Gallery. Post production was done at Animal Logic. Sound was designed at Sound Reservoir by Boyd Moore.