Queanbeyan primary school students Tahlia Marmont, 11 and Charlee Gibbs, 8 have bravely decided to shave off their hair to fundraise for the Leukaemia Foundation. Photo: Kim Pham.
Tahlia Marmont before her head shave.
Charlee Gibbs before her head shave.
Queanbeyan primary school students Tahlia Marmont, 11 and Charlee Gibbs, 8 have bravely decided to shave off their hair to fundraise for the Leukaemia Foundation. Photo: Kim Pham.
IT WILL be hair today, gone tomorrow for two local primary school girls who have pledged to shave their heads to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation.
By the end of the month, Tahlia Marmont from St Gregory's Primary School and Charlee Gibbs from Queanbeyan East Public School, will have had all their young locks lopped off.
Tahlia, a school captain, said she had hoped to use her leadership position to help others and bring awareness to a cause which just happened to be the Leukaemia Foundation.
She has inspired another nine of her fellow students and teachers, even the school priest, to shave off their hair at a school assembly next Thursday, March 14.
"It sort of feels comforting knowing I'm not going to be doing it alone and that there are people to support me," she said.
"We'll look different but it's for a good cause."
The 11-year-old said she's feeling excited but nervous at the thought of having her hair, which ends just underneath her shoulders, shaved off.
Family friends have prepared Tahlia for a life temporarily without hair by knitting her beanies to keep her head warm.
Tahlia's father, Brett said the family is very proud of the Year Six student's decision to participate in the World's Greatest Shave.
"We're proud," he said. "As Tahlia said it's a choice for her to be doing it but for a lot of people they don't have a choice."
Year three student, Charlee, has also witnessed the devastating effects cancer can have as her mother, Kate is a community nurse.
"Charlee often comes with me to work during the school holidays," Kate said. "She knows a lot of my clients have passed away from cancer."
Charlee was inspired to snip off her long hair, which reaches the middle of her back, after seeing a family friend do the same thing last year.
"Since then Charlee has been adamant, I thought I would give her a year to think about it and here we are doing it," Kate said. "I asked her 'are you sure?' because you can't back out. She hasn't had any second thoughts.
"She wants the complete bald head, no clippers on the razor. I said we'll start with a number two. She can have a look at that and if she wants less, she'll have that option."
Charlee said she was worried the children at school may pick on her. She has stockpilied a variety of hats, beanies and bandanas to adorn her head.
"I feel a little bit nervous but excited," she said. "I'm a little bit scared, just of everyone seeing that I've shaved my head."
Tahlia will donate her hair to Lots of Locks, an organisation that creates wigs for children with cancer while Charlee will give her strands to the Alopecia Foundation.
Tahlia will have her head shaved on Thursday, March 14 and Charlee will do the same on Friday, March 22.
The girls both hope to raise about $2000 each. To make a donation please visit my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/tahliamarmont or my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/charleegibbs.
The Queanbeyan Age will follow-up with the girls at the end of the month to see how they feel post-shave.
