Brendan McClements, general manager of public affairs at the ACB, said that when the bushfire drama unfolded it had looked at ways to could make a contribution to the relief effort.
-Signed bats are generally sought after items....we looked for a way of quickly generating enough money for the bushfire [victims]."
-The bats we have found are attractive memorabilia for people who are interested in cricket...whether that's corporates or individuals," McClements said. -We used eBay because it provided quick and effective way of reaching as many people as possible."
They have been signed by members of the Australian cricket team which won the second Orange Test match against South Africa, including Stephen Waugh, Shane Warne, and Adam Gilchrist.
McClement said the ACB planned to auction 10 bats. It aims to have this completed within the next three weeks, hoping to finalise it by the end of the one-day series in Melbourne.
The auction is being run by auctionbrokers, including the listings, bidder liaison, and end of auction fulfilment.
Money raised from auction of the bats will go to the Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund, to be used for victims of the NSW bushfires.
Melissa Carter, a spokesperson at eBay, said the online marketplace would be promoting the auction on its homepage. It's also possible to make donations to the bushfire appeal through Paymate on eBay's site.
