World's Greatest Shave

$36,000 and Counting: Coburg High’s Mammoth World’s Greatest Shave

Just two weeks after transforming into a stage for Coburg’s Got Talent, the Deck was once again at the centre of the action. This time, with considerably more hair hitting the floor.

Somehow, between the cloud, cold and rain of a Melbourne winter, Friday 7 August delivered sunshine, 16 degrees and barely a breeze. By lunchtime, the Deck was packed and the clippers were buzzing.

In the weeks leading up to the event, our students and staff had shared their fundraising pages far and wide, called on family and friends, and embraced increasingly ambitious promises involving hair, beards and questionable wigs. By Friday, the CHS community had raised more than $33,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation, making us the highest fundraising government school in the state.

An extraordinary result, particularly when our original goal was $5,000.

But somewhere along the way, the numbers stopped being the most impressive part.

As the event grew, so too did the number of people who reached out to share their own connection to leukaemia. What began as a fun idea involving some brave volunteers became something that clearly meant a great deal to many people across our community.

Perhaps no story captured this better than that of Year 7 student Charlie D and her family. In 2018, Charlie’s mum, Sarah, participated in the World’s Greatest Shave herself, raising money before shaving her head. Six years later, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. What followed was an extraordinarily difficult period of chemotherapy, intensive care, surgeries and rehabilitation. Today, Sarah is doing extremely well and remains in remission, while continuing oral chemotherapy – treatment supported by research funded by the Leukaemia Foundation in the years since her own shave. 

For Charlie, supporting the World’s Greatest Shave had already become something deeply personal. She organised the event at her primary school and, after joining CHS this year, once again put her hand up to be involved. In the lead-up to Friday, Charlie shared her family’s story in a Coburg Connect video with our staff and students before taking her own seat in front of the clippers on the day. Sarah was there too, making the first cut, while Charlie’s dad, Simon, finished off her new buzz cut. It was an incredibly generous thing for their family to share with us, and a powerful reminder that behind the fundraising total are real families, real experiences and research that can genuinely change lives.

And when Friday finally arrived, there were plenty of people ready to make the cut alongside her.

Our four Year 12s, Lucas W, Eloise B, Florence N and Toby C, were first into the chairs, farewelling their locks as hundreds of their peers watched on. They were followed by students from across the school, including Alice B and Amy O in Year 9 and Zoe K in Year 8, each taking their turn in front of the clippers.

Our staff proved equally game. Cameron, Tate and Aaron went for the full shave, while Kath embraced the opportunity for a mohawk. Jaan, whose beard had hidden his cheeks for more than a decade, finally revealed them to the school. Our IT guru Ramsey parted ways with hair he’d been growing since before COVID, donating his long locks before joining the buzz-cut crew. And then there was Lydia. Originally signed up simply to colour her hair, her fundraising efforts saw the stakes steadily rise until she found herself donating her long locks and going for the full shave.

The scissors were just as busy. Abbey, who had spent the lead-up to her wedding earlier this year growing her long blonde hair, decided there was no better reason for the post-wedding chop. Students Olive M, Tilly L, Matilda M, Nelly F, Zoe P, Mila K and Juliet T also made significant cuts, with donated ponytails carefully plaited, measured and bagged ready to be sent away.

Around them, the rest of the Deck was humming. Temporary colour transformed heads into every shade, Ed and our Student Voice Councillors kept the BBQ firing, Cian and the VM students ran a bake sale, Year 11’s Nahla and the VM team offered hair braiding, and students packed the surrounding spaces to cheer on their friends and teachers. With the whole school out of uniform and sporting some impressively crazy hair of their own, there was a pretty spectacular energy across the school – with a special congratulations to Raph in Year 9, whose very own bird's nest earned her the highly coveted title of Crazy Hair Day champion.

Just as impressive was the way our students embraced the day. With clippers, scissors, hair spray, hundreds of spectators and many a moving part, they were patient, respectful and enormously supportive of those taking part. From the first shave to the final chop, there was a genuine sense that everyone understood they were watching something special.

None of it could have happened without an enormous team behind the scenes.

Our 2026 School Captains, Sophie, Astrid, Evie and Lucas, played a major role throughout the planning, helping promote the cause, approaching local businesses, helping organise the logistics and then getting stuck into the work on the day. Their contribution was a wonderful example of the proactive, community-minded leadership they have brought to the role throughout this year.

A special thank you also goes to our Principal, Brent, who enthusiastically backed the campaign from the beginning, and perhaps a little too confidently agreed to wear a wig if we reached $17,000. Our community sailed past that milestone, leaving Brent to spend the lead-up to the event sporting a particularly fetching new look. Beyond being an excellent sport, his support and enthusiasm helped us turn an increasingly ambitious idea into the mammoth event it became. 

We were also extraordinarily lucky to have two talented student barbers, Dim M in Year 12 and Seb W in Year 9, who spent their lunchtime wielding the clippers and ensuring our brave volunteers emerged with considerably more respectable buzz cuts than we could otherwise have promised.

Parent and community volunteers Nicole K and Juliana T worked their magic with the scissors, Eliza T took charge of colouring, and our AP Selina’s mum, Mona, generously joined us to help with cuts. A huge thank you also goes to Annie and Bytes Cafe, who donated muffins and drinks for our cutters and shavers - a very welcome reward after parting with their hair.

A special shout-out also goes to our colourers, some of whom have since made the change permanent for a good cause: Cleo G, Ariana B, Hilary M, Kayley H, Dannte C-T, Uma M, Ada H, Ninyana S, Astrid R, Dianna, Lourdes, Selina and Eva.

And a very big thank you to the students who gave up their time to set up, sweep hair, plait ponytails, run stations, take photos, manage crowds and generally appear whenever another pair of hands was needed: Sophie F, Evie F, Lucas W, Astrid R, Lyric M, Nameera T, Noah V, Alexei F, Zara W, Eden C, Marianna M, Emily B, Olivia G, Maggie M, Sara S-C, Sadie H, Gabriela U and Jimmy S.

To our staff helpers: Virginia, Amanda, EJ, Ed, Cian, Tawfik, Mel, Gary, Selina, Brent, Fiona C, Sophie.

And to our parent and community helpers: Nicole K, Juliana T, Eliza T and Mona.

From an original $5,000 target to $36,173.85 raised (including almost $2,000 from gold coin donations, the bake sale and BBQ). From a handful of early volunteers to students, staff, parents and community members filling the Deck. From ponytails grown for years to heads that suddenly required significantly more sunscreen. The World’s Greatest Shave became much bigger than we initially imagined.

There were certainly some spectacular hair transformations, but what will stick with us most is the generosity behind them: people giving their hair, their money, their time, their skills and, in some cases, their stories.

We have a very beautiful community here at Coburg High. Friday was one of those days that made that especially easy to see.

Nat Stewart

Student Leadership Coordinator