Molly lets her hair down

9-year-old Molly Downie grew her hair to donate for a child cancer wig . Picture Shawn Smits.

By Ewen McRae

It took Molly three years to grow her hair almost to her waist – and just minutes for it to come off.

The Melton nine-year-old had her long locks lopped last week.

They’ll be used to create a wig for a child dealing with cancer treatment, with nearly 35 centimetres of hair going to the good cause.

Molly said it was something she had been thinking about for some time.

“Just over a year ago, my family lost a close friend to cancer,” she said.

“So I wanted to do this in memory of her. My sister did it before, so I wanted to do it as well.

“It feels really nice and light without the hair. I think I might do it again.”

Molly’s mum, Colleen, said she was a very proud parent.

“It was great to see the school and the community really get behind her and support her in this,” she said. “It was in memory of Jodie Harvey, who was a big part of the Melton community, so it is nice for their family to know that we haven’t forgotten her.

“Apparently it takes six people to donate their hair to make one wig, so this is just a start.”