JACKIE O’Connell’s hair went flying last week, as she joined the fight against leukaemia by taking part in the World’s Greatest Shave.

The Bulahdelah Central School teacher sat bravely as young students chopped off her locks with the assistance of local hairdresser, Renee Ballantine.

The primary captains then armed themselves with clippers to finish the job.

Mrs O’Connell said with many friends affected by cancer in the past year, she decided to have her head shaved at a school assembly to raise awareness of the cause.

“The primary children knew that a teacher was having their head shaved, but didn’t know who, we wanted it to be a bit of a mystery to keep the awareness in their minds,” she said.

“By keeping them guessing and thinking it might be this one or that one, it made them a bit more involved with it.”

The popular teacher said the students were “surprised, but very excited” when it was revealed that she was the staff member about to be shaved,

Mrs O’Connell told News Of The Area she was little overwhelmed at the support she received.

“The school and the staff have been excellent, and the community’s been brilliant,” she said.

“I set my limit at $500, thinking it would be hard to get to that, but I was really, really happy that it was over $900, and I still have a little bit more to bank.”

Money raised from the World’s Greatest Shave funds support and research for blood cancers, which include leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

According to the Leukaemia Foundation, around 35 Australians develop a blood cancer every day, and it affects people of all ages.

Although the annual campaign has almost wrapped up for another year, donations can still be made through the foundation’s website.

Nationally, this year’s World’s Greatest Shave campaign raised over $12 million.

 

By Daniel SAHYOUN