Fijian-born Brumbies duo Henry Speight and Tevita Kuridrani will be auctioning off their Round one playing jerseys to help with the Cyclone Winston relief efforts.
Both players have been personally affected by the devastating storm that has claimed the lives of 40 people, reportedly wiped out a number of remote island villages and left 8000 people in evacuation centres.
Speight’s former school, the Queen Victoria School, has been heavily hit by the disaster, while his siblings Davila and Jerry are in Fiji assisting with the cleanup efforts.
Barely anyone in Fiji has been left untouched by the devastation and Speight said the pair desperately wanted to help.
“People are going through a tough time at the moment,” Speight said.
“Being Fijian born it’s just something that we felt is the right thing to do and we would love for everyone to do.”
“Hopefully we can provide some assistance for them, how little it may be, it will go a long way.
“No one was really spared last week, everyone had their own stories, some are far worse off than others, some families have been torn apart.”
Kuridrani and Speight have worked closely with the Fiji High Commission of Australia (FHCA) to work out the best way to contribute to the relief efforts.
As well as auctioning off playing jerseys, the FHCA volunteers will be at the Brumbies vs Hurricanes match on Friday night seeking donations from spectators with proceeds going to Save The Children.
Save The Children has been working in Fiji since 1974 and is currently helping schools to get back on their feet in the wake of the storm, erecting temporary classrooms and giving kit bags to students.
Kuridrani encouraged everyone to donate even a small amount to help those back in his childhood home.
“Hearing the news, just thinking about people back home and things they’ve been going through has been tough,” Kuridrani said.
“A dollar coin can help someone with a bottle of water to drink, and so hopefully we can raise as many donations as we can.”
The FHCA has set up multiple bank accounts to accept donations for the clean up.
More information on the Save the Children efforts can be found here and you can also text FIJI to 0427 371 371 to donate directly to Save The Children.
More information on the auction will be on brumbies.com.au after Friday night's match.
