Hair Raising Experience

Shaking the collection bucket, I smiled proudly as I listened to the jingle jangle of the gold coins.

It was June 2008 and I was collecting donations at the annual Cut-A-Rama charity event sponsored by the hairdressing chain Just Cuts.

"It's a worthy cause," my daughter Kim, 42, said, explaining that all donations went to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, a non-profit organisation that provided emergency health care, education and communication services to regional Australia.

Kim was involved because she worked for Just Cuts and she'd roped me in.

"You can help collect donations," she said.

"Okay," I replied, "but I'm collecting cash not having a cut."

So there we were at the Waratah Hotel in hair done but with lots of hesitant onlookers, I decided to take action.

"You look like you could do with a shave," I joked to a bearded guy as he dropped some coins into my bucket.

"I'll do it if you do," he shot back.

My stomach dropped. At 70, I'd had the same style for years and wasn't keen on having my hair cut, especially in front of a large group of strangers. But then I looked over at Kim's smiling face and the people who'd already taken the plunge.

"Go on," Kim laughed.

"What better cause," I said making my donation and stepping onto centre stage, shaking with nerves.

"Here's another brave soul," Grant announced.

As locks of hair began to fall around me, the crowd cheered. "We're giving you a Mohawk," Grant laughed.

"Should we dye it too?" he asked the crowd.

"Yes!" they jeered.

Checking out my rainbow coloured Mohawk in the mirror, I cringed. "Please can you shave it off?" I pleaded.

"Not unless you raise another $200," he said.

Getting into the spirit of things I got up and began working the crowd.

"Come on, who'll give me an extra $200," I asked.

"I will give you some of it," someone shouted.

"So will we," some of the others agreed.

As I went round the room, people tossed notes into the bucket and within minutes I had the $200.

"Okay, here's the ransom," I joked. "Now shave it all off."

Leaving the stage totally bald and beautiful, I spotted the bearded guy and smiled.

"A deal is a deal," he said, winking at me.

Minutes later he left the stage cleanly shaven. Suddenly, other people came forward.

"We'd better get some more chairs," Grant said.

Soon, there were two rows of seats full with people getting their hair cut and by the end of the evening we had raised a record $8890.

This year, the Cut-A-Rama charity event is on again on June 2 at the Crown Hotel in Grafton, New South Wales. So go along and do your bit. If a hair cut isn't your style, just go along for the entertainment. There's no better feeling than making a difference for a worthy cause.