Serena Williams gives thanks to firefighters battling bushfires
Tennis champion Serena Williams gave a personal thanks to Victorian firefighters who risked their lives to help others in the bushfire crisis.
VIC News
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Serena Williams showed her support for Victoria’s firefighters on the front line with a special meeting on Tuesday.
The tennis champion met three volunteer firefighters from North Warrandyte CFA — Captain Trent Burriss, Firefighter Andrew Crump and Lieutenant Peter Cahill — who have joined strike teams sent to burning regions.
“She thanked us for our service,’’ Lieutenant Cahill said.
“She asked us for places she should donate to and we’ve made a recommendation that money goes to the families of the firefighters who were killed in the line of duty.
“We’ve had to deal with a lot of smoke and flames in the last month. The support has been fantastic, especially from the township of Mallacoota.”
Williams, who was joined by her daughter Alexis Olympia, donated her Auckland Classic winner’s cheque of $US43,000 to Australian bushfire relief.
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“I’ve been playing in Australia for over 20 years and it’s been really hard for me to watch all the news and everything that has been happening in Australia with all the fire and … animals and people that have lost their homes,” she said.
On Wednesday night William will join tennis stars including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios at the AO Rally for Relief fundraising event at Melbourne Park.