Wildfires: Anzac Day planner keen to organise fundraiser

Wildfires: Anzac Day planner keen to organise fundraiser

John Davis, an Australian now living in Jersey who has organised many of the Island’s Anzec Day events, said he is looking to organise something to coincide with Australia Day on Sunday 26 January.

Meanwhile, a tattoo parlour is due to offer Islanders a chance to get inked in aid of the Australian Bushfire Relief Fund this weekend. Artists at Stained Tattoo Co. on York Street will be opening up their studio for eight hours on Sunday.

No bookings are required and Islanders can choose one of several designs and are asked for a minimum £10 donation in exchange. The designs are due to be posted on the studios Facebook page on Friday.

Two of the business’ artists are due to work from 10am until 6pm and there will be collection buckets available at the studio for anyone who does not wish to receive a tattoo but wants to donate. Money donated to the Australian Bushfire Relief Fund goes to help support New South Wales Rural Fire Service, the Australian Red Cross and WIRES – Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service.

John Davis who is organising the Anzac Day celebrations. Picture: JON GUEGAN. (26832654)

Writing on Facebook, the business said: ‘Our flash designs for this charity event will be re-run over the course of the day so do not worry about us running out of designs. This means you can also bring your friends and family down for matching tattoos.

‘You may get more than one tattoo but we must insist that you rejoin the queue and make another donation if there are others waiting.’

Another business, Pretty Baked, has also been selling boxes of six cupcakes for £12 with all money going to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and the World Wildlife Federation.

It is estimated that more than 500 million animals may have died in wildfires described as the worst in living memory. In some locations, the Australian Army and Navy have been called in to help with evacuations.

Speaking about the fires, Mr Davis said he despaired at many of the country’s politicians who denied any link between the blazes and climate change.

‘Living in Australia, in suburbs of Sydney, which were right up against the rural national parks, we had fires every year. They were extremely common and we would have a significant one every ten years where the smoke would hang over the city and you would be able to smell the smoke on your clothes. That would go on for a few weeks,’ he said.

‘But with this one, people have been telling me that it has been like that for months.

‘To see your country ablaze is really sad but what is equally as worse is to see the politicians welded to the coal industry and for them to say that there is no relationship to climate change.

‘It is as if they are ignoring reality.’

Earlier this week, Islander Marianna Amy, a veterinary nurse in New South Wales, urged Islanders to donate to WIRES.

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