Will reveals plane crash victim Richard Cousins donated $71m to Oxfam on eve of charity walk

The donation was revealed on the eve of the Sydney Oxfam Trailwalk, which will pass the Jerusalem Bay crashsite.

Richard Cousins, chief executive officer of Compass Group Plc, poses for a photograph following a Bloomberg Television interview in London, U.K., on Wednesday, May 11, 2016. Compass Group provides catering and support services in countries throughout the world. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A BRITISH millionaire who was killed alongside his family in a light plane crash on the Hawkesbury River at Jerusalem Bay donated $71 million to international charity Oxfam.

News of the donation from Richard Cousins, 58, comes on the eve of the Sydney Oxfam 100km Trailwalker challenge, which will start at Brooklyn, on the Hawkesbury River, on Friday.

The charitable organisation is a community of 20 non-government organisations that work to beat poverty across the globe.

William Cousins was killed along with his father and brother in the seaplane that crashed into the Hawkesbury River on New Years Eve 2017. Source: Twitter

Edward Cousins died in the Hawkesbury River seaplane crash on New Year's Eve 2017.

Mr Cousins died in the Sydney Seaplanes crash on New Year’s Eve alongside his sons William, 25, and Edward, 23, as well as his fiance, Emma Bowden, 48, and her daughter Heather, 11.

Facebook picture of Emma Bowden and her daughter Heather, both died in the Sydney Sea Plane crash on the Hawkesbury on December 31, 2017.

Pilot Gareth Morgan was also killed in the crash.

It is understood the multi-millionaire Mr Cousins, who was chief executive of international catering company Compass, set up a “common tragedy clause” in his will just 12 months before his death — making Oxfam the beneficiary.

The pilot of the Sydney Seaplanes’ aircraft Gareth Morgan.

Pictured at Jerusalem Bay in Sydneys Hawkesbury river are police attached to Marine Area Command, during an operation to recover the wreckage of a Sydney Seaplane that crash into the water on New Years Eve. Picture: Richard Dobson.

A spokesman for Compass told NewsCorp Mr Cousins was “one of the greatest businessmen of his generation”.

“He … had little interest in self-promotion and a healthy disregard for pomposity and red tape,” the spokesman said.

Mr Cousins’ successor at Compass, Dominic Blakemore, said the 58-year-old was a friend and mentor.

THe Oxfam Sydney Trailwalker on Saturday

“He combined Yorkshire grit with a wonderful sense of humour,” he said.

The Sydney Oxfam Trailwalker event, which will coincidently pass by the crash site alongside the Jerusalem Bay walking track, is a teams event over 100km or 50km and concludes on Sunday.

The event has already raised more than $1.7 million.

Details: trailwalker.oxfam.org.au