By Browyn Marquardt *
When it came to The World’s Greatest Shave, four Kingaroy boys decided shaving their heads wasn’t going far enough.
The innovative lads decided they would raise more money if they chose to wax their legs instead.
Kingaroy State High School Year 11 students Aidan Penfound, 16, Ryan Nicholson, 15, Arie Cooper, 16 and Riley Hutfield, 16, came up with the plan when they decided to join the school’s annual participation in the Leukaemia Foundation’s Shave For A Cure.
“Last year I shaved my head, but this year I wanted to do something different,” Aidan explained.
Ryan said the teenagers decided on removing hair from their legs because they were so hairy – particularly his!
“Shaving it off was too easy,” he said. “We thought we’d get more money if we did something that would hurt.”
The boys had two weeks to gather sponsorship, mostly from school friends, with many female students warning it would be painful.
Local hairdresser and beautician Brooke Stead took on the mammoth waxing job, donating her time and wax strips to the cause.
While it was not the first time she has waxed a male’s legs, it was the first time she had done the job on teenagers.
“They were very brave and never gave up, even though there was a lot of sweat from the pain,” Mrs Stead said.
The session took four hours, Mrs Stead’s longest session ever. “My arms and shoulders were sore the next day, because the boys’ legs were so hairy,” she said. “It gave me a workout.”
The boys admit the session was more painful than they imagined, and a lot of screaming, squealing and sweating went on. They recorded it and posted it on social media throughout the process so that friends, family and sponsors could share the moment.
“It really hurt, but we’d do it again; it’s for a good cause,” Aidan said.
Kingaroy State School maths department head and World’s Biggest Shave co-ordinator, Brett Jones, says students raise money every year for the Leukaemia Foundation.
“This year, we had eight kids shave their heads; two girls and six boys,” Mr Jones said.
“Other students got involved by colouring their hair for a gold coin donation.”
The children have collectively raised more than $1000 so far, but money is still coming in and the final tally is expected to be much higher.
* Bronwyn Marquardt blogs at Maid In Australia
