AFL fans and pundits have been left stunned after a couple donated $40 million to the FightMND charity as part of Big Freeze 12.
The annual charity event tied to the King’s Birthday clash between Collingwood and Melbourne saw thousands of fans decked out in Big Freeze beanies.
And the stunning display of charity inspired a huge donation inside the MCG.
Craig Hutchison revealed on AFL program the Agenda Setters that Queensland couple Quentin and Kylie Birt had last week vowed to donate $10 million to FightMND.
But after attending the Big Freeze game the construction magnates felt so inspired they increased their contribution to $40 million.
They may have been inspired by the 10 celebrities who went down the big slide or by former NRL star Jai Arrow, who threw the coin toss following his recent MND diagnosis.
The Big Freeze 12 also came just weeks after its founder, Neale Daniher, died following a battle with MND.
The Agenda Setters panel, including Kane Cornes and Caroline Wilson, were blown away by the donation and their sentiment was echoed by fans.
“Best footy story of the year,” wrote one fan.
“This is incredible!!” added another.
“Just wow! Incredible from whoever this was,” a third said.
And another commented: “Wow what an amazing gesture, there really are some beautiful people out there.”
Prior to this weekend the Big Freeze initiative had raised $140m for FightMND, which shows how significant this donation is.
The Birts previously donated $57m to a life-changing Central Australian football program, and they are considered to be among Australia’s top philanthropists.
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