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‘Punk’ look at Mingenew rocked for cancer aid

Tamra CarrMidwest Times
Kait Morgan used to have a full head of brown hair until she decided to shave it off for charity.
Camera IconKait Morgan used to have a full head of brown hair until she decided to shave it off for charity. Credit: Supplied

Mingenew resident Kait Morgan has a four-year-old who says she looks like a punk.

But it’s a description she wears with pride.

After all, shaving her head into a punk-worthy “dirty mullet” helped her raise about $10,000 for blood cancer research.

For Mrs Morgan, who has a rare blood disorder known as severe chronic idiopathic neutropenia, the decision to shave for a good cause came easily.

Good friends Kait Morgan and 9-year-old Tilly Samuel both love their shaved heads.
Camera IconGood friends Kait Morgan and 9-year-old Tilly Samuel both love their shaved heads. Credit: Supplied

And, it came just as easily to family friend, Tilly Samuel, 9, who heard about what Mrs Morgan was up to and wanted to add her two cents.

“Tilly came to me and said, ‘do you think I should shave my head?’,” Mrs Morgan explained.

“And I was like, ‘yeah — wait, let’s ask Mum first’.”

In the space of a week, the Mingenew Primary School student’s two cents stretched into $7000.

Mum Ros Samuel said she was absolutely “flabbergasted”.

“It’s just surreal,” she said.

“She was nervous before the shave and I thought she might cry, but all her friends and supporters were cheering her on and afterwards she was so happy and not worried at all that she would look a bit funny.

“I think she’s made such a statement about appearance and busting open all the rules about how girls are supposed to look and letting people know it’s OK to do something different.”

The bulk of the funds raised by Tilly and Mrs Morgan were earned at a community shave event, where the pair divided their hair into four plaits each.

The bundles of hair were then auctioned to the crowd and shaved for between $750 and $2000 each.

Tilly decided to fully shave her head, while Mrs Morgan encouraged more donations by promising she would style and keep a mullet for a week after the event.

She is due to shave the rest of her head shortly.

The money has been sent to Leukaemia Foundation.

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