Kylie Minogue joins long list of donors desperate to help fire-ravaged communities

Kylie Minogue and Turia Pitt have joined the long list of big names raising money for those affected by Australia’s bushfires.

Schapelle Corby. Picture: Instagram

Aussie pop starlet Kylie Minogue has joined the bushfire fundraising effort with a $500,000 donation to charities including Red Cross Australia.

The 51-year-old shared news of her donation on Instagram alongside a photo of herself taken during a visit to Australia in 2019.

Last year I had the incredible opportunity of visiting some of the many beautiful places in my homeland for the first time.
Returning home to such devastation throughout much of the country is heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/5RWYZDQyBg

— Kylie Minogue (@kylieminogue) January 6, 2020

She joined a long list of local and international celebrities rallying around volunteer firefighters and affected communities.

Turia Pitt, the heroic Australian who survived horrific burns to her body when she was caught in a grass fire while competing in an ultra-marathon in the Kimberley in 2011, has urged people to make a conscious decision to buy goods from businesses in bushfire-hit areas.

She said these communities would be struggling long after the fires were finally extinguished.

Turia Pitt. Picture: Rohan Kelly

“Once these fires are finally ‘over’, it won’t be over for many of the local businesses in fire-ravaged towns,” she wrote on her social media account.

“A lot of these places, like my home in Mollymook, Mallacoota, Kangaroo Island, Eden etc., rely on the tourist dollar for their very survival.

“And so this is what I’m doing: I’ve created @spendwiththem, a place to feature businesses in fire-affected towns. So if you want to buy something, now or in the future, check out @spendwiththem and buy something from one of these places.

“Spend your money with the people and communities who really, truly need it. They need you. We need you. This is a way to put money directly in the pockets of the people and communities who need it the most, and need it now.

“Help them rebuild. Make them feel heard. Spend with them.”

Meanwhile, bids for the “baggy green” cap of Australian cricket star Shane Warne soared past $300,000 early this morning.

Warne wore the cap throughout his 145-match Test career for Australia, during which he took a national record 708 wickets.

Auction house Pickles said all proceeds from the online auction would be donated to the bushfire appeal. Early this morning, the current bidder was from NSW and the bid stood at $315,000 – within sight of the $425,000 paid in 2003 for Sir Donald Bradman’s baggy green.

Sports stars and entertainment celebrities from Australia and around the world have pledged donations, including pop star Pink ($500,000), Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban ($500,000).

Tennis star Nick Kyrgios got the pledges under way when he announced he would donate $200 for every ace he served during the Australian summer – and then proceeded to slam down 20 aces in his next match to raise $4000.

Nick Kyrgios. Picture: Getty

Ash Barty. Picture: Getty

Fellow Aussie tennis star and world number one Ash Barty has promised to donate any prize money she wins at the Brisbane International tournament, which carries a winner’s purse of $360,000.

AFL star Dayne Beams put his 2010 premiership medal up for grabs with the funds going towards the Bushfire Appeal.

Dayne Beams. Picture: AAP

Australian Hollywood star Margot Robbie posted an emotional video on social media in which she showed childhood photos as she asked fans to donate to bushfire relief efforts.

“I didn’t want to show you more pictures of the devastation,” she says.

“I wanted you to see how beautiful our country is because it is so beautiful and it’s really, really hurting right now and it really, really needs you.”

Schapelle Corby joined the bushfire fundraising effort by auctioning a beach-themed wall clock she made out of recycled wood.

Corby, the convicted drug smuggler who spent nine years in a Bali jail, posted a picture of the clock on her social media account.

“This is the first ever that I’ve made,” she said.

“I don’t have much else and like everyone my heart aches for Australia.”

She said that “100% of funds go to emergency fund for wildlife @wireswildliferescue”.

The 26cm quartz clock is made of recycled rose wood and epoxy resin.

The auction on eBay early this morning had received 34 bids and the current bid was $660.

Schapelle Corby. Picture: Instagram

Originally published as Kylie Minogue joins long list of donors desperate to help fire-ravaged communities