The biggest collective group of shooters in the country is inviting the Australian community to participate in one of the nation’s oldest pastimes, with a national campaign launched today.
The ‘Join Us’ drive comes as we prepare to celebrate Australia Day, with hunting and sports shooting an intrinsic part of our culture. The initiative, spearheaded by the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA), also coincides with a new television show, Hunting the Menu, which airs on the subscription channel Aurora tonight.
The campaign includes a television advertisement inviting non-shooters to join more than 180,000 SSAA members and one million licensed firearms owners who are sports shooters, hunters or both. It features real-life shooters and showcases the diverse range of people who partake in this recreation, including young women, farmers and those who are less able.
The ad will be aired throughout the Hunting the Menu series and follows the successful Field to Fork: Hunting the Menu webisodes, as seen on the SSAA TV YouTube channel. The new series lifts the lid on the process of hunting and preparing free-range food, offering insight into what hunting is all about.
SSAA National Media Officer Kate Fantinel said as the premier shooting body, it was only natural that the SSAA came on board as major sponsors of the series.
“Around 80 per cent of SSAA members participate in hunting activities, with many hunters proud conservationists of Australia’s native fauna and flora,” she said.
“Hunting the Menu will help educate the wider public about the realities of hunting, giving non-hunters valuable insight into how free-range food is source, prepared and utilised. Seasoned hunters might even learn a thing or two themselves.
“The campaign also aims to revitalise the SSAA’s Sponsor a Junior initiative, which encourages adult shooters to share their knowledge of responsible and ethical sports shooting and hunting with the next generation of shooters.”
To view the ad, tune in to Aurora at 8.30pm AEDT tonight or visit SSAA TV. Hunting the Menu episodes will also be available to watch on community television stations and uploaded to SSAA TV at a later date.