With the Leukaemia Foundation’s much-loved World’s Greatest Shave campaign now underway for 2025, Madeleine Snook of Narara is encouraging her fellow Coasties to sign up.
Snook raised more than $5,000 for the Foundation’s work in fighting blood cancer when she had her luxurious long red locks lopped last September for the 2024 campaign.
The qualified linguist had recently completed her master’s degree at the University of Cambridge in the UK, when she decided to sign up for the iconic campaign.
Although she had long been known for her long red tresses, Snook said she had always dreamed of donating her hair for a cause.
“It was always something I wanted to do … to grow my hair really long and dramatically shave it off and donate it,” she said.
After living in both the UK and Spain, Snook returned home to Australia last year having grown her hair for an impressive 14 years.
With her 29th birthday approaching, she decided it was the perfect time to shave it off.
“(Having it done) on my birthday made it extra meaningful,” she said.
“I could leave my 20s having done something good.”
Snook’s hair was just 5cm shy of the Guinness World Record for the longest hair donation (155cm).
With a fundraising goal of $5,000, she actually raised $5,210.
“It feels pretty good, like I’ve achieved something good for my community,” she said.
“I also feel privileged to have that choice because some people I’m donating my hair for didn’t have that choice.”
Snook recently opened her first solo exhibition of watercolour works at the Red Tree Theatre in Tuggerah, with the artworks to be displayed through to March.
The World’s Greatest Shave is one of Australia’s longest running and most well-loved fundraising campaigns, bringing Australians together to champion a good cause.
Over the past 27 years, more than two million people have sacrificed their hair, or donated to someone who has.
When you shave, cut, or colour your hair for the World’s Greatest Shave, you’re not just changing your hairstyle, you’re changing the lives of 150,000 Australians facing blood cancer today.
Blood cancer is Australia’s hidden cancer crisis with one in 12 people likely to be diagnosed within their lifetime.
Australia loses 17 people to blood cancer every day.
Over the past 10 years, the incidence of blood cancer has increased by 36%.
It is the most commonly diagnosed childhood cancer (0-14 years).
Sign up for your ‘new do’ today at worldsgreatshave.com or call 1800 500 088.
