Handball, soccer games and gossip sessions will be put on hold in early April when Canberra Grammar School’s year 12 students participate in Shave Against Cancer during their lunchtime break.

A long-standing school tradition, students shave their heads or chop their locks to show solidarity for people and families undergoing cancer treatment. In the last couple of years, the students have decided to raise money to support the families and children undergoing treatment at the Sydney Children’s Hospital.

“We felt the funds that went to the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation had more of a tangible impact as the funds went straight to the cause,” says Evelyn Van Wijk, School Captain.

Around 70 students will be undergoing the chop. Evelyn says the event is significant to students, with many of them looking forward to upholding the tradition of cutting or shaving their hair for an important cause.

“It provides a great sense of community within our school and all the proceeds go towards a really great cause,” she says.

Wanting to make a meaningful impact with their fundraising efforts, the captaincy team and a few year 11 students interested in a medical career headed to Randwick to visit Sydney Children’s Hospital. Touring the facility, they saw current wards as well as the prototype wards. 

“The new technological advancements and adjustments they are making to their wards, like more adjustable beds, make it a more homely environment for patients and their families. So, they can feel more at home when they’re going through such a difficult time,” says Evelyn.

Their aim of $55,000 could go towards the improvement of current wards or the implementation of the new prototypes. Either way, Evelyn says it will go towards enhancing the environment for those there.

“The Sydney Children’s Hospital only receives a base level of state funding and philanthropy is really important to ensure an even greater quality of care for patients and families at the hospital,” she says.

The flow of care hits close to home for Georgie Miller who has supported both her parents through cancer diagnoses and treatments. In 2019, Georgie’s mother was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and underwent surgery and radiation. Then in 2021, Georgie’s father was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer and underwent extreme surgery and treatment. The diagnoses changed Georgie and her little sister’s life.

“It was a very unique experience; both our parents were suffering from cancer back-to-back. We switched roles; you now have to take a role in looking after your parents and looking after their wellbeing,” she says.

An overhaul of their day-to-day life, family outings were limited due to her father being immunocompromised; however, they found ways to spend time together in the house. As the cancer took a toll on their bodies, Georgie’s parents weren’t able to do the things they used to enjoy, like playing with their children or cooking dinner every night. Georgie says watching someone strong who is your hero get seriously ill is a difficult experience.

“There are things that you wish they could do and sometimes your parents just can’t be there to support you because they need to divert their own energy to fighting the cancer.  You have to take a new role of independence while also being there for your parents and looking after your mental health.”

Now both her parents are in remission and Georgie wants to show her support. Originally wanting to shave her head in solidarity, her parents, though appreciative, didn’t want her to go to that extreme, so Georgie is making the chop instead.

Many people in the community may feel like they can’t talk about their experiences with cancer or don’t feel recognised, Georgie believes. She says events like this show you that there are people who care.

“When the school does something like this, it shows they are there to support you, they are there in solidarity with you and they see your struggle. You feel like you’re being supported, you’re part of something, your community is there with you and you’re not there alone,” says Georgie.

Another student opting for a cut rather than a shave is School Vice-Captain Angela Xie. She says having the option to cut rather than just shave opens the fundraiser up to more people. All of the boys are planning on shaving while only a handful of girls are, Angela says most of the female students are cutting a minimum of 20cm of their hair.

“I feel more comfortable with it, but I also think at the same time there is still a sacrifice no matter what. Hair is really important as a part of a lot of girls’ identities. Especially being a teenager, it is tough to make the decision to completely change the way you look. Providing an option to just cut your hair is important to allow a greater amount of the community to participate and support a cause,” she says.

The required minimum of 20cm of braided hair means that the hair being chopped can then go on to help people who might be going through cancer. Angela says they are indirectly supporting a cause through everything produced in the event.

“We will be donating them to Wigs for Kids indirectly through a local wig maker. Essentially, all the hair will be donated to create wigs to support those with cancer and those going through chemotherapy who may have lost their hair,” she says.

While the shorter locks may not make the cut to be made into wigs, they will not go to waste. They plan on donating the short hair to support environmental disasters.

“We give it to a company that uses the short hair to clean up oil spills, it acts as a sponge,” says Oscar Kelly, House Captain.

Oscar believes the school has a responsibility, through its size, resources at its disposal and community outreach, to help those in need and spread the word about these causes.

“It’s a powerful way for the school to take leadership in terms of fundraising and philanthropy. There are so many families within the school community and it taps into those resources,” he says.

Spreading the word through social media, the school newsletter and regular assemblies, the day is fast approaching and the students are hopeful of meeting their goal and supporting the foundation.

“It is a really powerful moment where everyone gets together and visibly sees the support to the community and the finale of the fundraising event,” says Georgie.

Support the Canberra Grammar School students in their Shave Against Cancer here.

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