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Celeste Barber launches fundraiser for NSW rural firefighters

Comedian Celeste Barber’s fire fund has raised a staggering $25m in three days. She said today it was an example of ‘power to the people’.

4 min read
January 5, 2020 - 10:34PM
Comedian Celeste Barber raises over $21m to help fire victims

The country has been left in awe of comedian Celeste Barber who has managed to raise more than $25 million for volunteer firefighters – in three days.

Barber set up the Facebook fundraiser on Friday and by late that afternoon had received a staggering amount of donations from around Australia and overseas.

Today Channel 7 caught up with Barber as she loaded supplies for firefighters into her car.

Asked if she was surprised by the response to her fundraiser she said no.

“People are amazing. Power to the people. Someone needed to do something and the people have done something,” she said.

Told that many Australians now regarded her as a hero she joked: ‘Sure! Why not? - carrying boxes of tissues...”

Barber, who has 6.4 million Instagram followers, drew pledges from as far the UK, US, France and Italy for the NSW Rural Fire Service.

The fundraiser - set up on Friday - has been at times rising as quickly as $1000 a second.

The amount raised by Barber’s fans smashes the $2 million raised by the City of Sydney and ABC on New Year’s Eve for the Red Cross.

By 8pm (AEDT) it had hit more than $25 million.

Barber’s plea for donations struck a nerve, with people across the country and the world digging deep – but now, attention is starting to turn to the woman to who started it all.

Social media is awash with praise for Barber from everyday Aussies and celebrities alike, with household names like Natalie Portman, Sophie Monk, Magda Szubanski, Wil Anderson, Michala Banas, Nicole da Silva and Selma Blair all praising Barber’s efforts on social media and sharing links to her fundraiser.

“I guess this country is now being run by Bette Midler, Celeste Barber and P! nk,” actor and writer Michelle Law tweeted, in reference to pop star P! nk’s generous $500,000 donation to the cause, and Midler’s impassioned tweet about Prime Minister Scott Mrrison’s leadership during the crisis.

Scores of people are also tweeting “Celeste Barber for PM”, with many contrasting her incredible efforts with our own elected leaders.

HOW IT STARTED

“Want to join me in supporting a good cause?” Barber originally wrote on her Facebook page.

“I’m raising money for The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate a lot or a little.

Barber posted updates on Instagram throughout the day showing her surprise and then growing shock at the magnitude of the donations.

“What do you say?” said a clearly emotional Barber earlier in the week as the donations surged above $6 million.

RELATED: ‘Devastated’ Pink’s massive fire donation

Australian actress and comedian Celeste Barber’s charity fundraiser has taken off.
Australian actress and comedian Celeste Barber’s charity fundraiser has taken off.

“Please help anyway you can.”

Barber had yesterday shared “terrifying” pictures of her mother-in-law’s home in Eden on the south coast of NSW along with a picture of husband Api Robin, concern etched on his face, as he awaited news from his mother.

“They are facing catastrophic conditions. The town has been left to fend for itself.”

Celeste Barber shared "terrifying" photos from her mother-in-law's house.
Celeste Barber shared "terrifying" photos from her mother-in-law's house.

Barber included an open letter to local member Andrew Constance pleading for more government support for the community, saying people were terrified about what was to come.

Barber shared her appreciation this morning after the unprecedented outpouring of donations.

“This is out of control! You are all out of control,” she wrote.

“My love and appreciation for you all is out of control.

“Unfortunately today the fires are due to get even more out of control.”

Tonight she’s shared a new video of her mother-in-law Joy Robin at the Eden Wharf after being told to evacuate.

“This is our war,” she said.

“This fire is Australia’s war at the moment. It’s been right down the Great Dividing Range and now it’s going right to the coast. And there isn’t one ADF on the ground.”

Ms Robin said she was too upset to consider leaving.

“They’ve left us high and dry so many times,” she said.

“We pay our taxes. We’ve been abandoned.”

Donate to Celeste Barber’s bushfire appeal.

AUSSIES DIGGING DEEP

Regional Manager of GoFundMe Australia, Nicola Britton, told news.com.au today that the reaction to Barber’s fundraising campaign was part of a wider outpouring of generosity from everyday Aussies.

“At GoFundMe since November alone we’ve seen $8 million raised by 125,000 donors, and that’s across about 5000 different funds, just for bushfires. It’s definitely part of a bigger trend of people tapping into their social networks to share and donate,” said Britton.

“We’re seeing people try to turn their emotions from compassion to anger to action, actively seeking out funds to donate to. On GoFundMe, we had a record day of donations yesterday, which was unprecedented – we’re certainly ramping up as people see the scale of the disaster. Since New Year’s Eve alone we’ve seen $1.7 million raised across about 500 different GoFundMe pages.”

While Barber’s Facebook fundraiser acts as a central fund, Britton said GoFundMe often catered to smaller, niche campaigns within the wider bushfire crisis — like that for Bateman’s Bay residents Sue and Mick, who lost their home in the fires.

“As we’ve seen this huge increase in bushfire donations over the last six to eight weeks, we’re really tapping into unique donor networks. We’ve seen everything from gaming communities to the Australian Tesla owners group to Brazilian and Nepalese migrant communities. We’re seeing these very niche communities tapping into their own networks to raise funds,” she said.

And Britton said that, while the scale of donations was as unprecedented as the crisis many Australians face, the country has form in this area.

“At the end of last year we released a giving report, and Australia actually came out as the third-most generous country. It’s certainly an Australian trait to back a mate at a time of need.”

Originally published as Celeste Barber launches fundraiser for NSW rural firefighters

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/celeste-barber-launches-fundraiser-for-nsw-rural-firefighters/news-story/6c798adb9fa0d46a56fde33957dc014b