Manaia school child sacrifices mullet for Shave for a Cure fundraiser

Murphy is shaving his mullet off to fundraise for charity. Photo / Supplied

A young man is sacrificing his beloved mullet to raise funds and awareness for a charitable cause.

Murphy Farrell, 12, says he is willing to lose the hairstyle he has prided himself on for over 18 months, in the hope it might mean other children don't have to lose a relative to cancer.

Murphy's granddad died of cancer when Murphy was around 8 years old, he says, and he still misses his granddad today, saying it was the little things they did together that form many of his memories.

"I miss him. I used to go to his house. He gave me a tomato plant one year, that he had grown from a seed for me."

Murphy's mullet measures an impressive 15cm from the bottom of his hairline. Photo / Supplied

For the past year-and-a-half, Murphy has been sporting an impressive looking mullet, which now measures 15cm in length from the bottom of his hairline.

"Some of my friends had mullets, and so did All Black Jack Goodhue. I really liked the look of them so decided to have one myself."

While Murphy thinks he looks pretty good with his full head of hair, he has decided to shave it off as a way to raise money for a cause close to his heart.

"I've decided if I can raise $700 then I will have my mullet shaved off. So far I have raised $160 so it is getting close."

Murphy, who lives in Manaia, is fundraising as part of this year's Shave for a Cure initiative which raises money for the charity Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand. The national charity is dedicated to supporting patients and their families living with a blood cancer or a related blood condition.

"I noticed they haven't got a cure for cancer yet so wanted to help, and shaving my mullet off was a good way to do it."

He says while his teachers have praised him for the idea, he isn't sure what his friends might think of his new look after the shave.

"They haven't said much about it yet. I will miss having it, but it's a good cause to help."

Anyone can support Murphy's efforts and get him closer to his goal by visiting the Shave for a Cure website and looking up Murphy Farrell: www.shaveforacure.co.nz/murphy-farrell.