When seven year old Lucy Holland accompanied her father rugby coach father Michael and his under 16s team on a tour to New Zealand last year, the players enjoyed her sense of fun. Now as she undergoes treatment for leukaemia in the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, it has been her sense of courage that inspired several of them to shave their heads and in the process raise more than $6,000 for charity.
“My brother and I went to see Lucy in hospital in Brisbane during the summer holidays after she had just had a few hard days of treatment and despite being pretty run down, she seemed really happy to see us, like the trooper she is,” said Tim Finlayson.
To date the boys’ efforts have boosted the Foundation’s resources by $6,924 which adds to $4,400 raised last term by the school’s prefects who chose the charity for their annual headshave. Michael – also the Director of Boarding, and his wife Julie – a School nurse – said they have been overwhelmed by the support from the TAS community since Lucy’s diagnosis last year.
“It will make a valuable contribution to the Foundation’s work in providing medical and emotional support for families dealing with cancer and research into the disease,” he said.
Year 11 students (back row, l-r) Anthony Russell-Thomas, Ryan Schmitt, Ben Hamparsum, Ben Louis, teacher Michael Holland, (front) Nicholas Makeham, James Wicks, Tim Finlayson, Tully Muller, and Dan Lethbridge prepare for their headshave to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation
