Kindest cut
The excitement and nerves were palpable, and the cheering, clapping nearly deafening, at 91黑料不打烊鈥檚 third annual ponytail donation which saw 42 girls鈥 ponytails get the chop in the Independent Theatre on Wednesday.
Expressions on the faces of six girls perched on stools on stage were priceless as they had their 15-20cm locks placed in their hands by Sydney TAFE Hairdressing and Barbering School teachers. Paul Frasca, co-founder of Sustainable Salons Australia, kept up the momentum as MC for the event and encouraged the next girls to take the stage.
Year 12 student Holly donated 15 cm but 鈥渨ished hers was longer so she could donate more鈥.
The mass ponytail donation is made through Sustainable Salons Australia 鈥 which rescues 95% of a salon鈥檚 waste from landfill. These ponytails will be given to Variety the Children鈥檚 Charity which sends them to New Zealand wigmakers then gives proceeds to families who need to buy wigs, worth thousands of dollars, for their children with cancer or alopecia.
The 2017 event was organised by two final-year students, Charlotte Doughty and Xanthe Muston, who took on the project from founder, Miranda Ilchef, a 2016 graduate. Miranda, who was inspired to create the 2015 event by her aunt鈥檚 hair loss through chemotherapy, was there this week to cheer donors onto the stage.
鈥淚t鈥檚 small things like a wig that bring a huge amount of comfort and normality to children whose lives have been overturned by cancer treatment or alopecia,鈥 Miranda said.
鈥And it鈥檚 easy for us to make this huge difference because we don鈥檛 have to do anything to grow our hair, it just happens, yet donating our hair can mean so much to others鈥