Despite losing his rural property to the fire, the 'Boy Erased' actor conducts an impromptu Twitter auction and raises over $270,500 in support of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.
- Nov 30, 2019
AceShowbiz - Russell Crowe has helped to raise over $270,500 (£209,000) for local firefighters in New South Wales, Australia as they continue to battle a series of bush fires.
The "Gladiator" star's rural property near Coffs Harbour was among the areas engulfed by "catastrophic" flames earlier this month, when two of his buildings were completely destroyed.
He is still working to clear debris from his estate following the natural disaster, but he decided to show his support to first responders in the New South Wales Rural Fire Service by auctioning off the hat he had been wearing during the clean up effort.
He showed off a photo of the soot-covered white cap, bearing the logo of the South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby club, of which he is a co-owner, in a photo on Twitter as he proposed the fundraising idea.
"Should I auction this hat off? Signed and personalised to the highest bidder?" he asked followers on Wednesday, November 27.
"I'll double or triple the winning bid and donate the $ to the @NSWRFS. 24 hours . Winning bidder contacted by DM (direct message)."
By Thursday, he had received a string of generous donations and offers to match other bids, and by the end of the sale, they had raised more than Crowe ever anticipated.
"So from a random, silly idea; twitter auctioning this slightly used hat ... atleast (sic) $400,000 Australian has landed with @NSWRFS today," he updated fans on Friday.
"I also see lots of people have got onboard & given what they can (sic). Thank you".
