by Karlo Jelincic
AT Brimbank College November has been replaced with Movember, as 11 staff have been growing their moustaches for the past month to raise money for charity.
Brimbank College teacher Shane Cole is the man behind the men’s involvement in the fund raising event Movember. The group is hoping to raise $1000 by the end of the month.
“I was talking to a couple of friends about doing it but they pulled out, so I decided to take it to the staff, and I ended up getting 10 guys on board,” Mr Cole said.
Movember started back in 1999 in Adelaide, with men growing their moustaches through November as a way to raise money and bring awareness of men’s health. It has since become a worldwide campaign.
This year’s Movember is raising awareness of prostate cancer, male depression and testicular cancer.
The cause of men’s health is a personal one for Mr Cole and the others.
“There’s been a few male staff at the school who have been affected in the past, so it’s something the staff is very much interested about,” he said.
“I’ve also known some people who have faced these problems as well. It’s something that’s usually in the closet and it’s something that should be out in the open.”
One dilemma for staff has been what style of moustache to grow.
“Some of us have gone the Chopper style moustache, while one guy has gone for an 18th century Victorian look,” Mr Cole said.
But growing the moustaches is not so easy. “I took two weeks to grow before I got to the stage where I could groom it. I don’t grow moustaches too well,” Mr Cole said.
“It was a while before the kids realised that 11 of the male staff were growing moustaches.”
All money raised will be going to Movember’s beneficiaries, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue.
For further information, visit www.movember.com.au.
