THE CO-FOUNDER of rural charity Aussie Helpers has died.
Brian Egan, 76, is survived by his wife Nerida and daughters Natasha, Samantha, Kelly and Victoria.
The western Queensland-based Mr Egan helped set up Aussie Helpers in Charleville, in 2002.
Mr Egan won a host of awards for his charity work, including the Pride of Australia medal and the title of Queensland Senior Australian of the Year in 2008, along with a nomination for Australian of the Year.
Aussie Helpers was set up with a simple $20 raffle, but has since grown to become a major rural charity, with a focus on providing aid to struggling farmers.
Official Aussie Helpers statistics suggest it has helped more than 13,000 farming families through initiatives such as financial aid, supply donations, education support, mental health support and more.
Initiatives such as the Bush Kids education program and the Virtual Psychologist mental health support were two Aussie Helpers projects that received significant coverage.