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Reposted from the Whangarei Leader
A sponsored head-shave has become an increasingly common way for lads – and some ladies – to cool off, and raise money for CanTeen.
Excellere College teacher Wayne Carroll likes to make learning memorable for his students.
Having shearer Mark Gillgren shear off his curly locks certainly achieved that.
He and his year 9 social sciences class have been studying the dreadful effects still occurring from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, over 20 years ago. Birth defects and cancer – especially in children – are ongoing.
“We can’t get money to the children in Ukraine very easily, but we can help our own Kiwi children through CanTeen,” says Wayne.
Both he and his class have been raising money, and seeking sponsorships for his planned haircut. Meanwhile, his hair was allowed to grow longer and scraggly in readiness.
The shearer, who clearly enjoyed the change of clientele, brought some pet sheep in his trailer as well and demonstrated the shearing process to the children before starting on Wayne. There was lots of cheering from his young audience as Wayne’s curly strands fell from the shearing comb.
Wayne’s red face and embarrassed grin revealed his nervousness as the shearing machine buzzed over his head.
“My father, who was also a shearer, used to threaten to shear me when I was young,” says Wayne.
“He never did, but I’ve remained afraid of getting my head shorn.”
When it was all over, Wayne – sporting a tinsel wig at first, but then exposing his new ‘hedgehog’ style to enjoy the breezes – admitted the machine got “a bit hot” on his head but was otherwise okay.
“It’s all for a good cause!” he says.
– Janice Gillgren
Whangarei Leader
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