More than 250,000 people around Australia woke up on Friday morning to the wonderful sights and sounds of Bruthen, when The Today Show Weatherman Steve Jacobs, festival ambassador X Factor runner-up Andrew Wishart and a very dedicated Bruthen community braved the wet weather to promote the region and festival to the nationwide audience. Speaking to the Advertiser in between crosses, Steve said he was amazed by the beautiful little town and spirit of the community.
“It’s been fantastic to promote the local produce and the beautiful countryside, but mostly I think the people are amazing,” he said.
“We had dinner at the pub (Bruthen Inn) last night and met a couple of local characters which was really fun.
“For a small town, Bruthen outshines itself with produce and people.
“It’s a real testament to the local community.
“We’ve done a lot of shows, but not always do we get such a huge turnout this early in the morning.”
At 6.04am while the town was still cloaked in darkness Steve stood on the deck of the Bullant Brewery talking up the festival and the fantastic acts on offer over the weekend.
At 6.34am the gospel singers awakened the spirit of Bruthen in the wee hours of the morning before their show on Sunday.
Singing a gospel classic ‘I wont be back’, Eva Grunden, from the choir said the presenters and film crew were so impressed with their talents, they did a long cross, instead of just a short take.
“It went so well,” Eva said.
At 7.17am it was back to the Bullant for a brewing demonstration with owner Neil Triggs. Steve explained to the viewers that the Bullant is East Gippsland’s first boutique micro-brewery, with all the beers named after destinations on the Great Alpine Road. Steve clearly enjoyed the taste of the local brew.
The next live cross at 7.34am was when festival ambassador and former local boy Andrew Wishart stepped up to the plate, delighting the small crowd assembled with a tune sungwith members of the choir.
Catching up with Advertiser after the cross, Andrew said the return visit was filled with a lot of happy memories.
“I haven’t stopped in the town for at least six or seven years so there’s a lot of changes, it just feels more vibrant,” he said.
“But a lot has stayed the same, I did my deb in the hall over there, and played footy around the corner,” he laughed.
“It feels really good to be putting something back into the community.
“The support I had was mad, it was very humbling.”
The East Gippsland Rail Trail was the focus of the next live cross, with Steve cycling the trail with a few local children.
For the last cross, it was back to the brewery for a barbecue on the deck, cooked by chef Adrian Glover.
With beautiful fruit laid out on the table, local sausages being sizzled and Adrian’s homemade sauces on show, it was a fantastic way to showcase the local produce that the Bullant is renowned for producing.
The bluesy and rocking sounds of Bruthen Blues and Festival’s headline act KNiKi and Mike Beale were a fitting end to the promotion of the festival.
Karly McCaskill, from East Gippsland Marketing, which funded the live crosses said it was invaluable promotion for the region.
“With over 250,000 viewers, for us, if we paid money for a traditional advertisement, it wouldn’t have the same effect,” she said.
“For someone like Steve Jacobs, who is well respected, talking about our local produce, it has a much bigger impact than any ad we could do.
“While this was focussed on tourism, it is also an opportunity to show how inclusive and vibrant our community is.”
The live crosses will ensure Bruthen is put on the map, maybe even the world map Steve said he’s off to Hawaii next week and one of the cameramen is off to the Oscars.
Source: Bairnsdale Advertiser, Monday, 20th February 2012