Fundraiser for the family of Lee Brooks

Angela and Tony Van Den Brink have always been the sort of people the budgerigar community in South Australia can count on.

They’re first to put their hands up, whether it’s hosting an aviary tour, stewarding at a show, helping set up, or jumping in to prepare food for a club function. They do it quietly, consistently, and without ever asking for anything in return.

This Christmas, their world was turned upside down. At their family Christmas party, Angela and Tony unexpectedly lost their son, Lee, at just 42 years old. Lee leaves behind a wife and son.

As you can imagine, the grief is immense and on top of that comes the sudden financial pressure of arranging a memorial. When Tony reached out asking if he could sell a few birds to help cover the memorial expenses, we couldn’t say anything but yes.

Because the BSSA Auctions don’t recommence until February and the NEBS Mega Auctions until March, we’ve created this one-off auction to give Tony the chance to offer a small selection of his better birds that were not used during 2025. A number of breeders have also donated birds to support the family, and the Van Den Brinks thank those breeders from the bottom of their heart's for the generosity.

Every single dollar raised (100%) will go toward Lee’s memorial service.  If funds exceed the cost of the service, the remaining amount will be set aside by Tony and Ang for Lee’s two and a half year old son, Greyson.

We’ve also created a Donation Lot for anyone who would like to contribute directly, even if you’re not bidding on birds. You can do this using a Buy It Now feature.

No family ever expects to face something like this. If you’re in a position to help, whether through a bid, sharing the auction, or a donation, your support will mean more than words can say during this heartbreaking time.

Thank you for standing alongside Angela, Tony, and their family.

Troy & Kelly

 PS — A heartfelt thank you to Ian Wise for pulling Auction 32 together, and to John Mulley for spotting and preparing the birds located in South Australia. We also sincerely appreciate Gary Gazzard, Peter Thurn, Michael Pace, Joel Keune, Trevor Broadbent, Stephen Thompson, Ali Humadi, Dave Kelleher, Jeffrey Leong, Nash Beniamin, Vic Kocoski, and the Boal Family for donating birds to support this cause. The generosity shown by the budgerigar community during times like these is truly humbling. 

This is an auction of exhibition budgerigars to raise money for the family of Lee Brooks, who sadly passed very suddenly on 26 December 2025. Lee leaves behind partner and child. This fundraiser is to help the family pay for the funeral costs and all money from the donated birds will go to help Lee's family through this sad time.