Dylan Knudson is paying dearly for playing with fire. The independent 11 year old from Berri poured a tin of petrol onto a cold barbecue which had been used the previous day. Within seconds, the residual heat in the charcoal ignited the fuel and engulfed Dylan in flames.

Dylan’s burn injuries were so serious that he sustained third degree burns to over 60% of his body. Five months later, Dylan is on the mend but will require life long treatment and frequent trips to Adelaide stretching the family of six’s finances. The chief requirement is a new family vehicle to safely manage the three hour drive to and from Adelaide.

Dylan’s plight came to the attention of 2002 Bali Bomb survivor and Julian Burton Burns Trust founder Julian Burton. In the last 12 months, Julian has been working with Clipsal to raise funds through “Bucks for Burns” dinners. Clipsal also donates 50c to the fund from the sale of every Clipsal Firetek smoke alarm.

Dylan is a mad Holden V8 Supercars fan and he and his father were invited to the Clipsal 500 as guests of Clipsal and to meet a few drivers.

“What Dylan and his dad didn’t know is that we had a cheque for $10,000 to give them for a deposit on a new seven seater Holden Captiva,” Julian says.

“Dylan is a fighter and a great kid. He has been through a lot and so has his family. I know they will appreciate the help.”

“Bucks for Burns has been one of the best charities Clipsal has ever been involved with,” says Clipsal executive general manager Damien Cummins.

“Julian has inspired all of us with his commitment to burn prevention and it’s great to see the money raised by our electrical contractors go directly to those who need it such as Dylan and his family.”

The cheque was presented at Clipsal’s HQ trackside marquee in front of 300 Club Clipsal electrical contractor members. Dylan’s father Luke said that the gift was “amazing and will make a huge difference to us.”

Julian also announced that further Bucks for Burns proceeds include a $20,000 donation to the Australian and New Burns Association (ANZBA) in QLD to establish a Burns Registry in to provide essential burn injury information and statistics, while another $20,000 donation is being made out to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne to purchase equipment and alleviate burns suffering.

To support the Bucks for Burns Campaign visit clipsal.com/burnstrust