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General News

2 March, 2023

Locals braving the shave for a good cause

Shaving off locks of hair for an important cause, Maryborough locals are participating in one of Australia’s longest running fundraisers — with their razors ready to go, all they need is the community’s support. Now in its 25th year, the...

By Prealene Khera

Local nurse Bethany Parker and Asteria customer service coordinator Brendan Evans will shave their heads to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Photo: 030323 07
Local nurse Bethany Parker and Asteria customer service coordinator Brendan Evans will shave their heads to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Photo: 030323 07

Shaving off locks of hair for an important cause, Maryborough locals are participating in one of Australia’s longest running fundraisers — with their razors ready to go, all they need is the community’s support.

Now in its 25th year, the World’s Greatest Shave is an annual event spearheaded by the Leukaemia Foundation to raise money in support of those diagnosed with the disease.

Championing the fight against blood cancer, people band together to shave, cut or colour their hair and this year, local nurse Bethany Parker is leading the charge.

“It’s the most common cancer between zero and 14-year-olds, 53 people are diagnosed everyday and 16 people die daily because of blood cancer — that’s a good enough reason for me to do this,” she said.

“People going through cancer treatment often lose their hair, and it’s a big part of people’s identity. So I’m just trying to show my support in a small way.”

Ms Parker along with Asteria’s Brendan Evans and a few others, will shave their heads on March 17 from 11 am onwards at Asteria Services, 20 Christian Street, Maryborough.

Asking people to donate to the fundraiser, Ms Parker said she plans on raising $1000 but is hoping to bring in more.

“I want to smash that original goal and so if the community can donate as much as they’re able to, that’d be great,” she said.

“Life is already hard and imagine having to battle cancer on top of that, so we’ve got to look after each other and donate or give our support whenever we can.”

So far, over two million Australians have participated in the World’s Greatest Shave — with about 39,000 kilograms of hair removed, according to the Leukaemia Foundation.

To support and sponsor Ms Parker’s upcoming shave,visitmy.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/bethanyparker

Learn more about the fundraising event by visiting worldsgreatestshave.com/about-us

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