Mo Harrison will shave his moustache on Saturday, June 26 when Ngatea Volunteer Fire Brigade supports Shave 4 Starship. Photo / Supplied
Mo Harrison will shave his moustache on Saturday, June 26 when Ngatea Volunteer Fire Brigade supports Shave 4 Starship. Photo / Supplied
The gravity of mowing his mo isn't lost on Mo the lawnmower man of Ngatea.
But neither is the importance of Starship's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the shortage of beds at Starship Children's Hospital.
Ngatea Volunteer Fire Brigade is getting involved with Shave 4 Starship on Saturday, June26, from 3pm at the Ngatea Fire Station.
The volunteers invited others to get involved and fundraise and among those stepping up to the plate are Mo Harrison, Samantha Tweedale and Chris Spilsbury from Ngatea Hammer Hardware, and Jason Sutton from Coromandel Peninsula Couriers.
Tracy, Mo's wife, has been married to Mo for 42 years and remembers how Mo shaved his mo for the wedding, but otherwise has never seen him shaved in all this time.
He's always wanted to shave his head but Tracy has never let him, so this is the payoff, one goes, both go.
Ngatea 20-year-old Samantha Tweedale plans to shave off all of her long locks for the same good cause - and she says she's grateful for any money that comes in.
"I was going to do it if the donations reached $3000 but now I'm going to do it for whatever I can raise.
"There are people who don't get the opportunity to randomly shave their hair, they just lose their hair, so I thought, 'I'll do it'.
"It's always been something I've wanted to support but have never found the courage in the past. My boss, Chris, was approached and he said, 'Let's all do this'."
Samantha Tweedale will shave her locks in the Ngatea Volunteer Fire Brigade Shave 4 Starship on Saturday, June 26. Photo / Supplied
Jason has a goatee that is more than just growth. It's his identity.
"It's just me. It's who I am. I liked it when I first grew it, it gave me character."
He says "the wife" wouldn't be too happy because she doesn't like him clean-shaven.
"But because it's for a good cause, she's willing to put up with it until it grows back."
The courier driver has made up business cards to give out to all he delivers to, helping him fundraise for the cause.
Mo has agreed to shave his mo and head with a $500 donation.
Jason hoped to get $1000 for his goatee.
"I didn't think I would get much money for my head."
He's impressed by Sam at Ngatea Hammer Hardware, and while donations can be tagged to a person for their efforts, all of them are in it together for the same good cause.
• Donate instore at Ngatea Hammer Hardware, via Ngatea Fire Brigade with the name as a reference to who you are backing, 38-9002-0546884-08
