On Saturday 20 February, Cyclone Winston swept through Fiji. As the strongest storm ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, it caused widespread destruction.

Sadly, more than 42 people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands of people have been affected.

Gold Coast SUNS ruckman, Tom Nicholls, has direct family members impacted by Cyclone Winston and has asked fans to generously support the cause by donating via CARE.

Nicholls’ mother’s village of Ba was hit severely, causing a significant amount of property damage and making this a cause close to his heart.

“Mum was born over there, she’s still got many siblings; brothers, sisters over there. I’ve got heaps of cousins over there and it was the largest storm ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere,” Nicholls said.

“Unfortunately the main path it took was right in the middle of Ba, where mum grew up and we’ve been to visit many times before.”

How can you help?

CARE Australia and local partner Live & Learn are on the ground in Fiji, providing relief to communities’ worst hit.

You can help those affected by donating to CARE’s Cyclone Winston Emergency Appeal at http://care.org.au/winston or call 1800 020 046.