Tahlia fundraising for cancer research

TAHLIA McLeod, a student at Yea Primary School, is making the effort to grow her hair and then shave it all to raise money for cancer research.

Tahlia is nine, and in grade four. Her mother, Angela McLeod, stepped up to the plate to speak about her daughter’s fundraising.

Asked about how the idea came about, Angela discussed her mother doing a similar fundraising stunt in 2001.

“I’m not actually too sure how it all came about, but we were talking about it … and her hair is quite long, and then she said something about getting a haircut, and we kept talking.

I told her that my mum shaved her hair, it was probably as long as Tahlia’s, and I think it was probably 2001.

“Mum went fully bald. And between her and the Yarra Glen Primary School principal, they raised $14,000, I think it was.

Mum sent her hair off to become a wig. And then Tahlia’s like, ‘oh, I’ll do that’.

“So she’s had that for at least a year, that she’s been planning it for.

We said okay then, and said let’s let it grow a bit more, and then we’ll do a big chop.”

Talking about the amount of money raised so far, Angela said that Tahlia is fundraising well.

“She’s up to $1200 now, and she set a goal of $4000. We haven’t set a date just yet, but I work in a big construction industry, and I’m with the union, and the union reckon that they’ll easily get the $4000.

“And I’ve had a few locals do it, which has been really nice. I would say that once we hit the $4000 we’ll give it a little bit, or it depends on how the union step in, what happens there, then we’ll set a date,” Angela said.

Tahlia is fully registered through the Cancer Council Foundation, and has her own web page.

“She is properly registered through the Cancer Council Foundation, she’s got her own page on there with a link.

And last night we made a QR code with it as well.”

On Tahlia’s fundraising page, she has written a short paragraph about what she is trying to…

Image: Yea Primary School student, Tahlia.