Brave Bega ladies shave their heads in support of cancer patients

Ann Earnshaw braved the clippers in a means to support the cancer fundraiser led by the Coles Bega team, a subject close to her heart.

Ann lost her mother to cancer when she was only 16 years old. Since then she has raised money towards cancer support whenever possible.

"If any little bit of money I can raise can help even one person, it makes it worthwhile," she said.

Ann was not alone in shaving her head. Shirley Watson, a mother figure to Ann, was right by her side.

"I wanted to look after my little girl, because she calls me Mum all the time," Ms Watson said.

Seated alongside each other, they supported one another as each took their turn getting their head shaved by co-worker Serina Brace-Clarke.

Ms Watson bravely went first, tilting her head back and embracing the shave.

But this isn't the first time Ms Watson has shaved her head, the last time was in 2013 for Bega Can Assist.

"Now that I'm 80, I might as well do it again," she said.

Once shaved she kept brushing her hand over her head with a smile.

Prior to the shave Ann had raised $800, which added well to the $600 raised on the day by people who attended the shave.

Coles service team member Luke Keft was congratulated by Coles manager Brendan Ford for having sold the most raffle tickets in the fundraiser so far.

Local musician Garry Carson Jones played beautiful songs to accompany the ladies' shaves.

For Shirley he played Father and Son by Cat Stevens, which nearly brought a tear to the eyes of multiple people in the crowd.

One of the main emotions on the day however, was that of gratitude.

The gratitude felt by Ann, Brendan and the rest of the staff towards the generosity of their local community.

"The hearts in this town are just amazing, people give the shirts of their back if they can help," Ann said.

Such generosity was shown when Bega Bowling Club president Mick Haigh presented Ann with a $250 donation.

So far Coles Bega has raised $11,000 which surpasses their goal of raising $8000 for an Accu Vein Ultrasound device for the Bega Oncology Unit.

Mr Ford said the Bega Hospital Auxiliary had already placed an order for the Accu Vein and was putting together a wish list of other items needed that the rest of the money raised can go towards.

The women embraced each other when the shaves were complete as people all around clapped and cheered them on.

The support was especially strong towards Ann as her oldest brother has recently been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

When asked what advice she would give, Ann said the best thing people could do for cancer is to get tested.

"Do all the possible medical checks you can do to make sure you catch it early, because it's a lot easier to help early than it is late.

"My big brother has only just found out about his cancer and he's already stage four, he left it too long and he will not survive."

However, Ann maintained a positive outlook, wanting to raise money towards cancer so that patients and their families can be better supported during treatment.

Ann is also not alone in this emotional time, surrounded by co-workers that are more like an extended family emanating a camaraderie that is hard to miss.

"I love the community spirit in this store, it's awesome," Brendan said in agreement.