entertainment

Lee Lin Chin is bringing Aussies home for Australia Day (and lamb chops.)

For some, Australia Day is the one day of the year when it’s okay to smash a tinnie with your breakfast and cover your face in patriotic temp tattoos.

For Sam “You Know It Makes Sense” Kekovich it’s prime time to chuck a lamb chop on the barbie. (Or ten.)

This year, the former footy player and lamb fanatic has recruited a new lambassador to his annual over the top advertising campaign: Lee Lin Chin.

The SBS newsreader/national treasure is apparently no vegan and has vowed that meat-eating Australians will not go without on January 26 — no matter how far they are from home.

Lee Lin loves lamb, it seems.

“Warsaw, winter, ‘96. Minus 17. And not a chargrilled chop in sight. That was no way to spend Australia Day,” Chin explains at the beginning of the clip after a rather chilling flashback to Australia Day 1996.

“We’ll never let that happen to another Australian again.”

Hence, she explains, “Operation Boomerang” — an oddly specific military campaign to bring a million ex-pats home for chops and sausages.

The ad, produced by Meat and Livestock Australia, is the latest in a long line of star-studded advertisements to entice Aussies to eat more meat.

Though wildly popular with some, the ads have also been widely criticised by Australians who aren’t so fond of eating our animal friends.

But, the mercury is steadily rising, cicadas are chirping louder than ever and the cricket has bombarded our nightly television viewing once more.

And Australia Day is upon us. However you choose to spend yours, at least you’re not at work.

How will you spend January 26?