No under-18 drinking film gets tick

Hedland’s youth leaders have stamped their seal of approval on a new television advertisement recommending that under-18s “stop and think, before you drink”.
Twelve young actors attended a special launch screening of the new health message advertisement in South Hedland on November 7, before it begins its run on GWN7 from Sunday, November 25.
The Film Footprints-produced piece, filmed in Hedland, features local kids delivering the hard-hitting message that no alcohol for under-18s is the safest choice.
Hedland Senior High School student Rowan Dann said he enjoyed the filming of the commercial and would likely take part in another being organised later this year.
“It was really good, I enjoyed meeting everyone,” he said at the screening, which include a blooper reel.
“It was just good to know everyone wanted to do it as well.
“The bloopers were really funny, really good. Most likely I will be in the next one.”
Fellow actor Frankie Pickett said it was the second television commercial he had been in.
“They gave us a script and said ‘you can speak it like this or put into your own words’, so we chose to put it into our own words and create it up a bit,” he said.
“When we were filming was the best part ... there was a lot of bloopers in the filming but we did get used to it.”
The commercial was organised and supported by the Port Hedland Alcohol and Other Drug Management Plan Working Group, Youth Involvement Council, the Town of Port Hedland, Mission Australia, WA Country Health, Bloodwood Tree and Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation.
“The Port Hedland Alcohol and Other Drug Management Plan Working Group team is part of a network of teams across the nation delivering important community action to prevent and minimise the harms caused from alcohol and other drugs,” the group’s WA regional community development manager Samantha Menezes said.
“Alcohol and young people is an important area for prevention and the work the Port Hedland Alcohol and Other Drug Management Plan Working Group team is working towards will contribute significantly to raising awareness of the national drinking guidelines for under-18s, recommending that no alcohol for under-18s is the safest choice.
“The message will also work to support young people in their decision not to drink alcohol.”
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