SIMPLY THE BEST
Australians are mourning the death of rock legend Tina Turner, who graced the country's screens, exhilarated people with her music and cemented herself as the face of rugby league for a generation.
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Turner, who died in Switzerland at the age of 83 after a long illness, was best known in Australia for her wildly popular hits, including Nutbush City Limits, River Deep-Mountain High and The Best.
But for many, she was synonymous with Australian rugby league, appearing in TV commercials for the sport and at grand finals.
Turner was first introduced to rugby league with the 1989 campaign “What You Get Is What You See” in a marriage designed to reignite her career and give the sport a marketing hit.
There was immediate blowback, with questions from coaches and critics about why the game had coughed up cash for an American grandmother to be the face of the game.
It was arguably the greatest marketing decision Australian rugby league ever made.
Turner’s next hit was her biggest.
The league’s “Simply the Best” campaign took hold in 1990 and left administrators battling to find a marketing strategy that went close to it over the next three decades.
Former Australian Rugby League boss John Quayle recalled how his team managed to buy the rights to The Best for five years, securing it as the sport's long-held anthem and as the theme for Turner's famed advertisements.
“She came to the grand final in ’93 and then we sponsored one of her national tours, which was wonderful,” Mr Quayle told Seven’s Sunrise program yesterday.
“She was just such a wonderful lady, she related so well with the players, she made them feel so good about it every time (she would) walk onto a set.”
Jimmy Barnes, who recorded a duet with Turner for the Simply the Best campaign, said it was an honour to work with someone as “talented, strong and giving” as the US star.
“It was certainly a highlight of my career to have sung and shared the stage with such a wonderful human being,” he said in a social media post.
Turner also starred in the Australian George Miller-directed film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome alongside Mel Gibson in 1985.
Australian music producer Roger Davies was Turner’s manager from the 1980s through to 2010.
— AAP
HERE’S CHEERS
The heart of Travla beer lies right here in Echuca.
The brewery co-founded by locals Travis Fimmel, the star of Vikings, and Xavier Campbell, the former Essendon chief executive officer, alongside Jeremy Hunt and MasterChef judge and season four winner Andy Allen, is taking the Australian beer scene by storm.
The beer has strong country roots and a proud Australian identity, so it was great to see this photo emerge on social media last week of the Travla team’s latest get together, which featured Fimmel, Campbell and Allen outside Echuca’s Caledonian Hotel.
BRANSEN GIVES KINGS PARK A TRIM
Former Riverine Herald sports reporter Bransen Gibson is fast becoming a bit of a cult figure.
Gibson, who joined the Shepparton News at the start of this year, has been sharing his Bran’s Big Predictions online since the start of the local football and netball season.
With each of his predictions, comes a bet that if he selects the wrong winner, then he has to complete a task.
He repaid his first losing bet last week at Seymour’s Kings Park, promising to mow the venue if the Lions defeated Mooroopna.
Bransen met with Kings Park curator Rob D'Orria on Thursday, May 18.
Under Rob’s guidance, after fuelling up on humble pie, Bransen set to work.
Rob kindly lent Bransen a mower from his business, Countrywide Turf Solutions, while he sat back, cracked a beer and enjoyed a night off.
Bransen said he was happy to make good on his bet.
“I'll certainly think twice before tipping against Seymour in the future, although it might be worth doing just that if it means I get to eat more of Rob's delicious humble pie,” he said.
BEST SPORTS STORY OF THE YEAR
Club professional Michael Block’s fairytale PGA Championship has reached new heights as he made a hole-in-one late in his final round that produced the loudest roar of the week at Oak Hill.
The tee shot at the par-three 15th by Block, one of 20 teaching professionals in the field at Oak Hill, soared into the air and then slammed straight into the cup without even rattling the flagstick.
The moment left the 46-year-old Block, who was playing in a group with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, in disbelief.
“No, no, no way. Rory did it go in?” Block said on the tee as spectators erupted in wild scenes around the green.
Such has been Block’s impact on the game of golf, he secured invites for this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge and June’s Canadian Open.
BIG MANGO TURNS 21
Before taking on the role as editor of The Riv, one of my former jobs was as the Whitsundays regional editor looking after three weekly newspapers.
One of those newspapers was the Bowen Independent, which serviced the picturesque North Queensland town of about 10,000 people.
Bowen is home to some magnificent beaches and The Big Mango.
The Big Mango turned 21 yesterday and even Google got in on the fun.
More than 1.5 million people have had their photo taken at the Big Mango since it was built in May 2002.
If you haven’t been there, do yourself a favour and check it out.
The weather is perfect at this time of the year.
JOKE OF THE WEEK
What’s blue and smells like red paint? Blue paint.
FAST FIVE QUIZ
So in honour of the Big Mango, this week’s quiz is on Australia’s big things.
1. In which Australian state would you find the Big Prawn?
2. Is the Big Pineapple on the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast?
3. True or false - is there such a thing as the Big Cassowary?
4. The Big Strawberry is in which Victorian town?
5. In which state would you find the Big Penguin?
TIP OF THE WEEKEND
We got a good result last week with Brigantine living up to expectations at Doomben. This week, we’ll head back to the Sunshine State and go with Aberfeldie Boy in the Queensland Derby to knock off the hotpot Kovalica (Race 7, No.3).
FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS
Stevie Nicks, musician, 75, Lauryn Hill, musician 48, Lenny Kravitz, singer, 59, Josh Thomas, comedian, 37, Jolene Anderson, actress, 43, Joel Selwood, footballer, 35, Dean Lukin, Olympic weightlifter, 63, Rachael Sporn, basketballer, 55, Natasha Fyles, NT chief minister, 45.
FINALLY
Good luck to the crew from Echuca-Moama Theatre Company with the production of Shrek The Musical, which opens tonight. It has taken a team effort to bring it all together and we hope they break a leg up there on stage!
FAST FIVE QUIZ ANSWERS
1. NSW (in Ballina), 2. Sunshine Coast (in Nambour), 3. True (it is in Mission Beach, Queensland), 4. Koonoomoo, 5. Tasmania (in Penguin).