Amazing Race winners Tim Sattler and Rod Jones donate portion of $250k prize money to bushfire victims
Amazing Race winners Tim Sattler and Rod Jones will donate a portion of their $250,000 prize money to the widows of two heroic firefighters who died while battling bushfires.
Confidential
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Weeks after winning The Amazing Race, Tim Sattler and Rod Jones have vowed to donate a portion of their $250,000 prize money to bushfire victims.
The NSW couple told Confidential that they were touched by the story of NSW firefighters Geoff Keaton, 32, and Andrew O’Dwyer, 36, who tragically died last year while protecting homes. Sattler and Jones will donate $5000 to widows Melissa O’Dwyer and Jess Hayes.
“Honestly we saw all the articles all over the news and it struck a chord, we both have nieces and nephews around the same age (as their kids),” Sattler said.
Keaton is survived by his fiancee Hayes and their 19-month-old son Harvey, while O’Dwyer shares a 19-month-old daughter Charlotte with grieving wife Melissa.
“It really hit home that these poor young kids won’t even get to really know their dad so we just wanted to give back a little bit just to try and ease the financial burden,” Sattler said.
“It doesn’t bring them back or change the outcome but we just thought it was a worthwhile cause.”
Keaton and O’Dwyer were fighting bushfires on the Green Wattle Creek fireground southwest of Sydney when a gum tree fell and crushed their fire truck, killing them instantly just days before Christmas.
“For those two men, Geoff and Andrew, it breaks our hearts and brings tears to our eyes to think there are families at this time of year when it should be the complete opposite at Christmas,” said Jones.
“We just wanted to do what we feel is right and follow our hearts and hopefully give back in what way we can. I know this isn’t going to bring them back, but if we can just help them through this tough time then hopefully that’s what people should be doing as well.
“Obviously we’d love to do more travel together and splurge a little bit but it just wouldn’t have felt right with everything that’s going on with the fires.”
Sattler and Jones beat ten other teams of two competing in gruelling tasks around the world to be crowned winners of The Amazing Race season 4.
“It’s been absolutely a whirlwind … It was the most amazing experience that we’ve ever had and to be able to do it together has made us so happy and proud. We feel so lucky and blessed to have won all that money,” Sattler said.
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Originally published as Amazing Race winners Tim Sattler and Rod Jones donate portion of $250k prize money to bushfire victims