G’day viewers: Hoges and Strop are back together for bushfire relief

One of Australia’s most beloved duos, Paul Hogan and his best mate John “Strop” Cornell, are back together after 35 years, reuniting to film an ad for a new beer for the bushfire appeal.

The promotion for Hotel Brunswick beer, shot on Saturday morning, is the first time the duo has appeared in character since the hugely successful The Paul Hogan Show series ended in 1984.

The ad will screen in late-January to market a local brew for the NSW town Brunswick Heads’ local pub, which former Nine Network chief executive David Gyngell owns with Cornell and his wife Delvene Delaney, also a star under the Hogan/Cornell umbrella. She will also appear on the advertisement playing the role of Rosie the barmaid.

Profits from sales of the Brunswick Brewing Co’s summer ale Hotel Brunswick Classic Brew will go to the bushfire appeal as well as wildlife and environmental charities.

Delaney said there had been discussions for a long time between the pub owners about updating the infamous “hangover cure” skit from the The Paul Hogan Show in the late-1970s. The skit features a hungover Hogan and Cornell devising a cure with ingredients including room-temperature Fosters, salt and pepper, tomato sauce, a raw egg and an oyster stirred up with a spoon covered in Vegemite.

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“They’re picking up exactly where they left off after The Hangover Cure. They’re still old mates in a pub with a beer,” she said.

Delaney joked that Hogan had been up since 4am drinking beer before filming the ad and was asleep when she was interviewed by The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age. Her character Rosie pours drinks for Hoges in the ad.

“The extras were our family, our daughters and our mates, it was in a corner of our old pub. There’s a lot of sad news, obviously, and Hoges and Strop are really much loved … here’s an opportunity to revive these characters to do something that goes the distance.”

The group has committed to donating $200,000 to the cause upfront, with proceeds from the sale of the beer to continue the funding into the future.

“Some of the groups we’ve been speaking with, the wildlife carers, have lost their homes and their enclosures. They can’t continue that good work in their great hour of need – this sum of money can go immediately to help them,” she said.

John 'Strop' Cornell and Paul Hogan on The Paul Hogan show.
John ‘Strop’ Cornell and Paul Hogan on The Paul Hogan show.

The campaign was created with advertising veteran Allan Johnston, founder of Mojo, who came up with the slogan “A great new beer from a great old pub”. Mojo was the agency behind the World Series Cricket tagline “C’mon Aussie C’mon” and Hogan’s famous catchphrase “Shrimp on the barbie” for the Australian Tourism Commission.

The advertisement will be public in late-January and the beer, brewed by Ballina’s Seven Mile Brewing Co, will be available in a fortnight at Hotel Brunswick, Gyngell said.

“We wanted to support people and animals who have been affected using a classic old Aussie pub and a good beer,” he said.

The pub is a short distance from Byron Bay, where another major bushfire fundraiser is being held at Beach Hotel in January. Up for auction as part of the event include training sessions with actors Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky, a tennis lesson with Pat Rafter, and items from celebrities such as surfers Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning. Fanning and Parkinson founded Gold Coast-based Balter Brewing Co, which was bought by Carlton & United Breweries in early-December.

As part of the fundraiser, there will also be a two-day NSW Rural Fire Service concert at the Byron pub with performances from Australian artists such as Powderfinger’s Bernard Fanning and Wolfmother.

Gyngell said it was “really good work” from the Byron pub and the Hotel Brunswick team had wanted to pitch in with something meaningful to help the efforts.

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Source: Thanks smh.com