Love them or loathe them, you’d be hard-pressed to find an Aussie who hasn’t seen or heard about the famous upside-down chins that have personified Australia’s most iconic fundraising campaign – the World’s Greatest Shave.
The glorious and sometimes wacky chins, have graced our TV screens, billboards, and newspapers, embodying well-known local and global celebrities and cult figures.
From Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘I’ll be back,’ Bruce McAvaney’s commentating, and ‘Brangelina’s Instachin’, to Chef Manu Feidel lending his ‘magnifique’ chin to the cause in 2016, there has been a large cast of other aspiring and lovable characters.
One of Australia’s favourites was no doubt 5x gold Chinnie award-winning CHNN anchor ‘Bon Rurgundy,’ who, in 2017 helped the Leukaemia Foundation broadcast important updates about the World’s Greatest Shave.
But while we enjoy that trip down ‘chinny lane’…that’s all about to change today with the launch of a new era of the World’s Greatest Shave.
“The World’s Greatest Shave, as Australians have known it for the past 15 years, is officially bidding farewell to the upside-down chins,” said Chris Tanti, CEO, Leukaemia Foundation.
“This moment in time, marks the end of an era as we sadly say goodbye to the lovable chins, whilst welcoming the dawn of a new, vibrant, bold, contemporary, and more personal campaign to support the growing number of Australians impacted by blood cancer.”
Mr Tanti added that the World’s Greatest Shave is going back to its roots and bringing the Australian community along for the ride with its new slogan, ‘That’s Bloody Beautiful,’ and by featuring real human participants in its advertising and creative direction.
“The new look World’s Greatest Shave celebrates the everyday heroes in our community doing ‘bloody beautiful’ acts of shaving, cutting, colouring, or donating while helping to make the world less lonely, scary, and difficult for blood cancer patients.
“Every single strand of hair that Australians change this World’s Greatest Shave, whether they chose to shave, cut, or colour, is going to help champion change for the 140,000 Australians living with blood cancer today.”
The World’s Greatest Shave was sadly not immune to the devastating impact of Covid which created the most formidable challenge the campaign has ever faced in its 26-year history.
“When Covid hit, the World’s Greatest Shave which united people in homes, schools, pubs, and clubs across the country suddenly transformed to participants shaving, cutting, and colouring their hair behind closed doors and on digital platforms.
“As a result, our beloved community events were cancelled, and our fundraising took a significant hit impacting the work and support the Leukaemia Foundation provides for the growing number of people in Australia living with blood cancer.
“But we have an ambitious vision – a future where no life is lost to blood cancer – and to achieve this, the new era of World’s Greatest Shave will bring communities back together, and further reflect the deeply personal nature of the campaign,” said Mr Tanti.
According to the Leukaemia Foundation, there are more people diagnosed with blood cancer now than ever before, underscoring the urgent need for increased support, additional resources, and ultimately more funds needed to assist the growing number of Australians impacted.
Mr Tanti added: “With the incidence of blood cancer soaring 47% in the past decade, funds raised through World’s Greatest Shave go towards providing vital support for the 53 Australians diagnosed with the disease each day[i], as well as funding life-changing blood cancer research.”
Since 2000, the Leukaemia Foundation has funded over 360 blood cancer research grants, representing over $86.5 million in blood cancer research funding in today’s current dollar value.
The funding is helping to make significant strides into finding better and more targeted treatment options for Australians living with blood cancer, with the hope of one day finding a cure.
Around 20,000 people sign up to participate in World’s Greatest Shave each year, and more than two million Australians have sacrificed their hair, or donated to someone who has over the past 25 years.
To be counted in the fight against blood cancer you can register to participate in the World’s Greatest Shave at worldsgreatestshave.com or call 1800 500 088.
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