They are Riley's most prized possession but he will part with them to help the koalas. Photo / Trade Me
They are Riley's most prized possession but he will part with them to help the koalas. Photo / Trade Me
The boots worn by Beauden Barrett during the 2018 Super Rugby and All Blacks season have pride of place in Riley Dickey's bedroom.
With dirt from the rugby fields still in the soles and Beauden Barrett's signature on them, they are the Wellington boy's most prized possession — but the 10-year-old is willing to give them up if it means he'll help save some koalas affected by the devastating Australian bushfires.
Riley decided to put the signed Adidas boots up for auction after hearing about the number of animals killed by the fires in Australia.
The boots Barrett wore during the 2018 season. Photo / Trade Me
He will donate all the money from his auction to the "Help Save The Koala Fund", which is being run by the World Wild Life Fund.
"In 2018 I was really lucky to be given a pair of signed Adidas Rugby boots from Beauden Barrett which he wore during the 2018 Super Rugby and All Blacks season," he explains in the auction.
"These boots have sat on my bedroom rugby memorabilia display ever since that day."
The Wellington boy has had the chance to hug a koala. Photo / Trade Me
"I would really appreciate it if you would consider bidding on this auction. You will not only be receiving a pair of signed Adidas Rugby boots worn by Beauden Barrett, the world rugby player of the year two years in a row, but you will also be helping support urgent and vital veterinary care across Australia, helping provide wildlife food and water for those animals who are starving in bush fire impacted regions, helping perform rapid assessments of fire impacted areas, and helping restore what has been lost once the fires stop," he adds.
Barrett himself has endorsed the auction, sharing a link to it on his Instagram page.
Beauden Barrett has shared the auction on his social media. Photo / Trade Me
The winning bidder will also receive confirmation that the boots have been worn and signed by him.
Riley's parents could not be prouder of the boy's compassionate gesture.
His dad, Nathan Dickey, told the Herald that Riley is "mad about rugby". Ever since Barrett signed the boots for him, after wearing them in a Hurricanes match in 2018, they have been the main feature in the boy's bedroom.
"During the week he saw that Beauden had shared an auction that Adidas were running for a pair of Beauden's boots and it got Riley thinking that he would also like to help, and knew he could by auctioning the boots," he explained.
His dad made contact with the rugby player to ensure he was happy for Riley to auction the boots he had gifted him and Barrett replied saying he was "100 per cent happy for Riley to do the auction".
The auction ends in the morning of Tuesday, February 4. It is currently sitting at $1,010.
"I absolutely love my boots but I know what I'm doing will be helping with the fires in Australia and helping with the Koalas so I'm happy to part with them," Riley told the Herald.
