Surprising GoFundMe page drawing the majority bushfire donations

More than $300,000 has been raised for bushfire victims and there is one page that has received significantly more donations than any other.

More than $300,000 has been raised on GoFundMe to support those affected by the bushfires, but it may come as a surprise that the fundraiser drawing the most donations has nothing to do with supporting our fireys or people who have lost their homes.

In the past 72 hours more than 260 bushfire campaigns have been created on the fundraising website.

Campaigns have been crated for specific communities, people who have lost their homes and for the firefighters but the one drawing the most donations was created to help injured koalas.

The fundraiser for the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has raised more than $200,000 to help koalas that have been affected by the fires.

Thousands of donors from more than 30 countries have contributed to the donation page.

“Fires south of Port Macquarie (Crestwood) have recently devastated bushland which has a high number of breeding koalas in the area,” the campaign’s page reads.

“There are fears as many as 350 koalas have perished with approximately 75 per cent of the fireground footprint being prime koala habitat.

More than $200,000 has been raised to help the koalas. Picture: GoFundMe

“The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is an animal welfare, scientific research and education facility that will send out and conduct search and rescue exercises in the hope of finding surviving koalas.

“Any surviving koalas will be brought into the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital for assessment and treatment.”

The second most popular fundraiser was created for the Wytaliba community near Glen Innes, which was destroyed by fires that killed two residents.

Vivian Chaplain, 69, and George Nole, 85, died when the bushfire tore through the community on Friday.

The fundraiser was created three days ago and just over $30,000 has been raised.

“On Friday night fires tore through the community of Wytaliba. My birth place, my family home, the primary school and 80 per cent of our community homes were destroyed. Many people have lost everything except the clothes on their back,” Cerene Lowe wrote on the page.

Wytaliba public school devastated after bushfires ripped through the small community. Picture: Adam Yip

“These are my family and friends. The money raised will go to the community to help rebuild and start again.

“Two of our Wytaliba elders were lost in the fires last night. Our thoughts are with their families and our community. May they rest peacefully.”

Another fundraiser started for those on the NSW’s Mid Coast, one of the areas that has been most affected by the fires, has raised more than $19,000.

The fundraiser was started by the Lions Club of Taree with the funds raised being distributed in the Mid Coast region to the RFS along with families and farmers affected by the fires.

Another GoFundMe page aimed at raising money for the NSW Rural Fire Service has received just over $8000 in donations.

A bushfire burns outside a property near Taree. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

Regional Manager of GoFundMe Australia, Nicola Britton, said the donations are still coming in.

“The power of the Australian community has shone through in the past 72 hours, with over 260 GoFundMe pages raising more than $300,000, and rapidly rising,” she said.

“Australians are backing one another, acting quickly to take fundraising into their own hands. They’re backing their neighbours, their friends and families, our firefighters and the Australian wildlife who have become helpless victims of this natural disaster.”

Ms Britton said within hours of the first fire reports there was a massive surge of donations flooding in to help victims.

“As Tuesday’s fires take hold, and reports that over six million NSW residents are at risk, we anticipate that Australians will continue to chip in to support the victims through personal fundraising,” she said.

“The GoFundMe Trust and Safety team are closely monitoring all funds, vetting and verifying pages and engaging with campaign organisers to ensure donations reach the intended place safely.”