Australia has been burning for the last three months, and it’s never been more crucial to chip in to help. That’s the motivation driving brothers Mitch and Leigh Robinson to help raise money for firies and the community doing it tough in the Australian bushfires.
This summer in Australia has been the worst bushfire season in history. Over 12 million acres of land have been burned down, 16 lives lost, and over 1,300 properties destroyed. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, with many having to rebuild their lives from scratch.
And there’s no relief in sight.
That’s what prompted brothers Mitch and Leigh Robinson to do what they could to help.
“I’ve got this sense of frustration that not enough has been done by the leaders of this country to acknowledge this growing climate emergency,” Leigh said. “It’s terrifying that this could become the norm.”
Mitch, a professional AFL player for the Brisbane Lions, and Leigh are taking action into their own hands in the best way they know how — gaming.
The duo is putting together a 24-hour stream on January 4-5 in partnership with Gamer Aid Australia to help out bushfire-affected communities in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.
“With the amount of people affected by the bushfires across the whole country, I couldn’t just sit by and watch without trying to help in some way.”
Mitch Robinson
“Trying to do a 24-hour charity stream is the least I can do to try and raise money for those affected,” Mitch said.
Gamer Aid was the perfect organization for the brothers to partner with. Started up by Aiden Hiko and Joshua Swift, Gamer Aid has raised over $20,000 to send to affected communities, with names from all across the gaming industry chipping in.
“Seeing Mitch and Leigh get passionate about helping Australian communities respond and recover has been incredible,” Hiko said. “When they first reached out Josh and I both knew it was something we had to do.”
The brothers plan on setting up plenty of “stupid and painful challenges” across the stream as they try to raise $10,000 for Gamer Aid.
“It’s amazing that a few dedicated individuals are stepping up and are working to bring us all together as one,” said Leigh.
“With Gamer Aid being so approachable and willing to work with all streamers and content creators, it gives anyone an avenue to try and help where we can,” Mitch added.
The Robinson’s stream isn’t the only partnership Gamer Aid has landed over the last week. Misfits created a long sleeve fire rescue shirt as a part of their Scuffed merch label launch, and all proceeds will be going to the Gamer Aid appeal for Rural Fire Services.
Brands like Sennheiser, Logitech, Astro Gaming, AK Racing, Blue Microphone, Legion Energy, Spawn Point Bar, and more have gotten behind the initiative, giving away prizes to donators.
“The response has been massive, with so many esports and gaming communities coming together to help Aussies out,” said Hiko. “If we could build houses outside of Fortnite and Minecraft, I have no doubt we would be doing that too.”
The Robbos will be going live from 10am AEDT on January 4 in their quest to raise $10,000 for Gamer Aid. You can tune into Mitch and Leigh’s streams here.
If you want to find out more about Gamer Aid Australia, including information on how to donate, visit their website here.
