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Vol. 8, November 2, 2011
Hair today, gone tomorrow… tomorrow … C
By Millie Thomas
hris ‘Thommo’ Thomas takes pride in his work, his friends and his family, but above all, in his moustache.
It has been his moustache that has seen him through the devastating droughts of the 90s, the rise and fall of the sheep market, one failed marriage and the global financial crisis. Now, after 33 years of stories and questionable consumables at the best of times, all that will come to an end. When an apprentice working in Mr Thomas’ department onsite fell seriously ill, it didn’t take long for the Services Infrastructure team to come to the conclusion that Thommo’s ‘mo had to go. This historical event will be held at the Bowls Club at 6pm on Tuesday, November 15. It will be coupled with an auction, featuring everything from Engel fridges to return flights to Adelaide, from sporting memorabilia to jewellery. The original monetary aim, at $4000, was intended as a target for departmental employees, but now that the cause has gone viral, the sky is the limit. Mr Thomas describes his most defining asset, and what life will be like with the sun bearing down on his bare upper lip. “I thought it looked decidedly ‘RAF –ian’ – Royal Air Force. The fighter pilots all wore moustaches like mine. “Nobody will recognise me. It will be a bit like having Alzheimer’s getting to hide your own Easter eggs… I’ll be making friends all over again! “Basically it’s one of our own that’s been affected by the disease and I thought $4,000 was a nice round figure… Originally we were going to keep it amongst ourselves and it has sort of exploded from there. I thought that it would be enough to ask of our immediate work crew.” The apprentice, who wishes not to be named, has spent majority of his placement in the Desalination Plant Maintenance Department. Mr Thomas said now the wider public is aware of the cause; they could raise in excess of $10,000 for the apprentice. He said the money will be spent at his and his family’s discretion, which could mean
anything from day to day needs, or something to lift his spirits. In departmental jocularity, Mr Thomas has challenged fellow work mate Chris Pillar to go that one step further, “I’m donating $500 to see Chris Pillar get his back waxed in wax strips – he started it! “And, he’s not allowed to cut the hair first…he’s just as hairy as all hell! He donated $1,000 to see me lose my moustache.” A plethora of volunteers have put up their hands to help or donate to the cause, in particular locals Darren Peters and Elke Hall have contributed significantly by rounding up auction items. A representative from the Desalination Plant said the community’s reaction has already been phenomenal. “We have been overwhelmed with the support from businesses and the general public of Roxby Downs and beyond with some quite significant cash and auction donations. “This is not uncommon for the people of Roxby Downs to rally together for one of their own in particular. “We pretty much planted the goodwill seed and the support from that has been fantastic.” Everyone is welcome to attend the event, with a $5 donation including dinner to be payable on the night.
Some people like Chris Thomas will do almost anything for a friend in need. Chris is about to lose his moustache after 30 years!
Building great men. At St Peter’s College we believe in an holistic approach to education: we are educating minds, building healthy bodies and nourishing spirits. None of these things can happen in isolation. Boys who are supported in this way grow to become great men - who are instinctively good and gentle - because we are leading them on a path to true strength of character. Let us show you how.
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To learn more, we invite you to visit us at the November Market Day and speak to our Marketing Manager, Tracy McNamara or go to www.stpeters.sa.edu.au.
Scholarships St Peter’s College invites applications for a range of scholarships now available for entry into the School in 2013. For further information and application deadlines, please contact Mr Ian Munro on 8130 3200.
St Peter’s College St Peters, South Australia 5069 T. +61 8 8130 3200 F. +61 8 8362 16 54 E. admissions@stpeters.sa.edu.au W. www.stpeters.sa.edu.au
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