Sri lanka high commission, Foreign consulate in Yarralumla, Australia

Less than 48 hours after celebrating a 3-0 series win over New Zealand, Australian captain Tim Paine and star spinner Nathan Lyon went straight to Southern Highlands and paid a visit to the fire ravaged communities Along the way, the duo also visited Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitz Simmons, who thanked them for their solidarity with the affected families. "Myself and Nathan, obviously with the day off, thought it would be good idea just to come out and basically say g'day and say thank you to all the fire fighters that have been doing such a fantastic job down here in southern New South Wales (NSW)," Fox Sports quoted Paine as saying by NSW RFS."Obviously they're one small part of a big part of what's been going on NSW and Victoria particularly. We just thought it was an important time for us to come out and say g'day and thank them and speak to some people in the community who have gone through a really tough time. It's been a really special day for us, to come down and see some of the devastation and see the size of the fires that have come through places like this has been absolutely mind-blowing, and when you do see it you do see the flat out bravery of our fire men and women that have come out here to try and save lives and property has been an unbelievable effort," he added.Earlier during the just concluded third and final Test, Australia's bowling quarter had donated 19,000 dollars for each of the 19 wickets picked up during the match and according to Lyon, it was just a small act of kindness to a greater cause."The true heroes of Australia right now are the fire fighters and the volunteers and it's such a small little thing for us to donate 1000 dollars a wicket," Lyon said. "I think it's good reward for us if we dig deep and our goal is to take 20 wickets to donate $20 grand for all the people affected by the fires. I think it's a great cause. I'm pretty proud about that. We're not doing it for recognition or anything like that, we just want to make sure that at the end of the day we're playing a game of cricket and there's been people been severely affected by fires and, if not, losing lives of family members," he added. The ongoing bushfire crisis in Australia has so far killed 25 people and millions of animals while also destroying nearly 2,000 houses. Besides cricketers, celebrities and personalities from all walks of life have also pledged to contribute to the bushfire relief.( With inputs from IANS )

Sri Lanka High CommissionFOLLOW

Sri lanka high commission, Latest News

The unprecedented scale of the Australian bushfire raging parts of the country for months has sparked an outpouring of generosity from the Sikh community living in the country, with several orgsations and individuals alike volunteering in the support ...

The 'Baggy Green' cap that former Australian spinner Shane Warne put up for auction for donating the amount to the bushfire relief fund, has crossed AUD 500,000. ...

Australia limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch believes his team has got all the skills to overcome India in the upcoming three-match ODI series. ...

Top tennis stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams will be playing an exhibition match to raise funds for Australia's bushfire relief. ...

The National Cricket Inclusion Championships (NCIC) will take place for a fourth consecutive year in Geelong with more than 250 of Australia's most talented cricketers with a disability competing at the tournament from January 13 - 17. ...

Australia's Alyssa Healy has said that they have got the tougher pool for the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup but feels that it will help them test their abilities early in the tournament. ...

Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth on Wednesday pledged one million dollars towards relief efforts for the bushfire ravaged regions in Australia. ...

Less than 48 hours after celebrating a 3-0 series win over New Zealand, Australian captain Tim Paine and star spinner Nathan Lyon went straight to Southern Highlands and paid a visit to the fire ravaged communities. ...