Australian sport has been quick to lend a hand to the Victorian bushfire appeal.

After the fires, Minister for Sport, the Hon Kate Ellis MP, spoke of the role of sport in the community and the long list of sporting organisations and individuals who had reacted quickly to support the bushfire appeal.

‘Sportspeople have been standing up and sending a very clear message that they want to be an important part of this community and to do what they can in times of hardship and tragedy,’ said Kate Ellis MP.

The Australian Sports Commission’s Active After-school Communities (AASC) program has helped put a smile back on the faces of children in Victorian bushfire-affected towns.

AASC gala days have been held in Traralgon and Kinglake to help community rebuilding by encouraging children and local clubs to resume sporting activities in the region. Some AASC programs had been deferred after the bush fires swept the region.