To bee or not to bee | Raucous in the caucus | Jim the life coach | The return of Bib and Bub
This week InSider goes anaphylactic over a new ad and jumps aboard some restored trams at St Kilda.
Bee afraid … RAA launches mascot
There’s few media releases that land in InSider’s inbox that get the entire editorial team buzzing.
But the unveiling of RAA’s new mascot – Trev the bee – spurred a hive of commotion.
Behold this… creature. Half-man, half-bee, very hairy: Trev is an abomination and a slight against nature itself.
Decked out in trendy hi-tops while rocking a full beard and bushy eyebrows, Trev will fly into Adelaide’s screens from Sunday (but keen-eyed Showdown attendees got a sneak preview of the ad campaign on the big screens last night).
Trev was designed by Adelaide creative firm kwpx, and the ad was brought to life by Rising Sun Pictures. Local musician Surahn Sidhu from Empire of the Sun was responsible for the soundtrack. Have a watch here.
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One of the team responsible for the birth of Trev – whose existence laughs in the face of God – was RAA chief marketing officer Michael Healy who was also behind the creation of Bank SA’s Piping Shrike character.
“We’ve tapped into some of South Australia’s best local talent to bring Trev to life,” Healy said.
“Trev loves all things yellow and black and is a big fan of RAA Patrol vans and, indeed, RAA in general.”
Indeed.
The grand unveiling of the terrifying chimera follows a viral mystery campaign on Adelaide’s bus shelters which had us scratching our heads for the last few weeks. Maybe you’ve seen them around: zoomed-in high-res images of Trev’s bee fur complete with a ‘Trev’s back’ slogan.
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Back from where? Hell? The Island of Dr Moreau? InSider cannot recall his previous existence but perhaps his resurrection is something to celebrate (InSider being under 50 had to Google to find evidence of the previous ‘Trev’, so maybe market research was needed here).
In any case, Trev will soon have Adelaide buzzing. Or laughing. Or something.
Gone to the Dogs
The SA Greens were busy this week in a parliamentary move to Save the Cranker, so it was with piqued interest that InSider opened a media release titled “Sex work is work Greens Move to Subject Greyhound Racing to FOI Scrutiny” from the office of Tammy Franks.
Was it a mixed metaphor or simply a cut-and-paste into an email template gone wrong? InSider never found out because a correction email didn’t follow.
The return of Bib and Bub
There was a lot going on in Adelaide this week, and InSider missed the return of classic trams rattling down the tracks at the St Kilda Tramway Museum on Sunday.
After a 38-year restoration journey by volunteers, the Adelaide wartime “Bib and Bub” tram delighted tram buffs on April 29.
Nicholas Benn, the president of the museum, said the occasion was extra special because it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the St Kilda tram track being open to the public.
“These trams are more than just vehicles; they’re a piece of South Australian history,” Benn said.
“After years of meticulous restoration by our dedicated volunteers, we’re thrilled to unveil the ‘Bib and Bub’ set to the public. It’s a chance for people to connect with another piece of Adelaide’s past and enjoy a unique tram ride experience.
“Restoring these trams has been a 38-year journey. Their condition upon salvage required countless hours and immeasurable effort to bring them back to their former glory. We’re incredibly proud to preserve and operate this Bib and Bub set for the public.”
The ‘Bib and Bub’ trams, Type-A numbers 14 and 15, were two of 100 trams built to launch Adelaide’s electric tram network in 1909.
During World War II, many of Adelaide’s tramways staff enlisted in the war effort and petrol rationing had made public transport more vital than ever. In response to these challenges came the ‘Bib and Bub’ sets, which allowed for double the passenger capacity with only one driver instead of two proving a boon for public transport during the war years.
The name ‘Bib and Bub’ was an affectionate nickname given by the public to these coupled trams, inspired by the children’s comic strip by May Gibbs featuring the Gumnut twins of the same name.
Governor-General’s last trip to SA… hopefully
Governor-General David Hurley and his wife Linda visited South Australia this past week, first stopping in on Kangaroo Island to see how the community is recovering from the devastating Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20.
The couple, who will move out of Government House this winter after Sam Mostyn was appointed GG last month, then hit Adelaide where they had a meet and greet with the refugees helped to find meaningful work by Community Corporate.
Left to right: Ali Akbar Mohammadi , Behzad Pourdarab, Carmen Garcia, Shikofa Anguri, Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia , Sima Naseri, Rachel Georgeson, Mehdi Noori and Ali Payam. Photo: supplied
Prepping the room before the Governor-General arrived, the GG’s aide said this would be Hurley’s last trip to SA… hopefully, since the only thing that could bring him back was another natural disaster.
Carmen Garcia, an InDaily 40 Under 40 alumni and founder of Community Corporate, enticed Hurley to her offices while receiving her AM earlier this year by simply asking him to stop in whenever in town.
The Governor-General thanked the people assembled in the Franklin Street offices for choosing Australia and making the country stronger through the skills they brought with them. He also thanked Community Corporate for the work they do.
“We know for people to feel safe [there are] three basic needs: community, shelter, employment,” Hurley said.
“If we can provide that employment or purpose it’s one of those three legs of the stool that enable people to be stable and get on with their lives.”
But, in what has become a Hurley tradition, it was Linda Hurley who stole the show when invited to perform one of the songs that she writes herself to incorporate whatever charity or cause the couple are supporting.
InSider was suitably impressed with her ability to incorporate “Community Corporate” and “social enterprise” into a Gilbert and Sullivan style ditty, was smitten by the look of pure love and devotion the GG had on his face while watching his wife, and then blown away when she enticed the room to sing three rousing choruses of ‘You are my sunshine’ to cap off the afternoon.
From mowing to life growing
If there’s one way to catch the eye of InSider, it’s to title an email with the word BREAKING. So when we got this breaking news update from Jim’s Group, we were hooked.
If you’re an avid InSider reader, then you would remember in March we covered the inclusion of remedial massages and beauty to Jim’s catalogue, which is most commonly known for Jim’s Mowing with other mobile services ranging from dog washes, fencing, cleaning, car detailing and many more.
Just yesterday, Jim’s Group announced they’re introducing life coaching to their services – an obvious fit. Jim Penman, CEO of Jim’s Group, said life coaching shouldn’t just be for the rich and famous. He wants to “democratise life coaching and make it available to everyone”.
“It helps people to set their own goals, and then work out how to get there. It has the potential to change lives, and I’m delighted to see it become a Jim’s Group service,” Penman said.
This is part of the franchise’s push to enter into the health and wellness sector.
Who knew you could go to one place for mowing services, bin cleaning, blind repairs, a manicure and now advice from a personalised life coach? He really is our local expert.
A ruckus in the caucus
InDaily got a shoutout in the Upper House during question time on Wednesday, May 1, leading to the raucous in the caucus.
The question was from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Jing Lee to the Attorney General about political donations.
Lee said: “InDaily reported on the 20th of April that the member for Kavel now has oversight of the Electoral Commission instead of Attorney-General Kyam Maher, as well as carriage of Labor’s pledge to ban political donations.”
“The article went on to posit that, and I quote ‘An argument could be made that by handing over responsibility for working on a donation ban to Mr Cregan, it may give Labor an out if it does prove too hard to develop legislation robust enough to face a legal challenge,’” she continued.
“My question to the Attorney-General is, is the Attorney-General intentionally handing responsibility for the ban of political donations to the member for Kavel, because he knew it would be too hard to achieve the government’s election promise?”
The Upper House then erupted into chaos.
Funnily, it appears Lee misspoke, as the article she referred to was not published in InDaily but the ABC.
