November 17, 2013
A new TV commercial being shot in the South Burnett will promote the importance of education locally and nationally.
Advertising guru John Lyons made the trip from Melbourne last week to test the area’s school students for the commercial, which he hopes will inspire parents to send their children to school every day.
More than 70 local students from 10 schools in Moffatdale, Murgon, Cherbourg, Wondai and Kingaroy tried out before the cameras.
Thirty-three students have been chosen to appear in the final commercial, which will show them as they are today and what they could become if their education continues.
The idea for the commercial began over a Christmas dinner conversation last year between Barambah Parental and Community Engagement (PaCE) coordinator Marcus Priaulx and John Lyons.
“John and I were eating turkey when we started talking about how important it is for children for their parents to send them to school every day,” Marcus said.
“I told John it was my job to build an education culture so every parent did this, and John said he’d like to help.
“I said ‘you can’ but I didn’t really know what he did.
“I do now, though, and we’re only too happy to bring him out of retirement to help instill the importance of education for people’s future happiness.”
John offered his services for free.
And so have former schoolmates Leah Purcell and Steve Renouf, as well as National Indigenous Radio in West End, Brisbane, and Koori Radio 93.7FM in Redfern, Sydney, who’ve provided a studio and sound engineers for the project.
A small sponsorship secured money for the commercial’s production costs and the initial airing of the ad in January next year, and further funds are being sought to help bring the ad to national attention.
Shooting took place at St Joseph’s Catholic School at Murgon last Tuesday and Kingaroy State School on Wednesday.
[Photos: southburnett.com.au and Barambah PACE]
