Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School students and teachers go bald for World's Greatest Shave

Mr Garnsey was among about 75 teachers and Year 12 boys who lined up to have their hair shaved or bodies waxed on Tuesday, as a part of the World's Greatest Shave.

This year the school is on track to reach last year's $52,363 fundraising effort for the Leukaemia Foundation with huge support from the local community and businesses, according to teacher Dave Olrich.

Mr Olrich started the event in 2010, about eight years after his three-year-old son died of a very rare type of leukaemia in 2002.

"I am looking forward to it, it's quite liberating," Mr Olrich said of the great shave. "Because the boys realise that once they get wind around their ears that it's actually a pretty good feeling."

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Beside Mr Garnsey was student Dusty Hagon, who also chose the more painful waxing option, saying "I had to auction off some [inaudible] and decided to put my legs up".

"It feels spectacular... it's not great," Mr Hagon said with a grimace as people crowded in closer.

The school also set up an online auction to assist the fundraising event, where people could bid for items donated by local businesses.

Most had spent the weekend dying their hair a variety of colours or clipping their locks into interesting shapes for the big event, as a way to draw attention to the cause.

Nearby in the rotunda on the hill, Campbell Jones, 17, had to bleach his naturally red hair before dying it purple, saying he has had all sorts of reactions.

"A couple of people just stared at me and just shook their heads and others just laughed and said, 'how come you're doing that?"

Angus Gale, 17, said he gave his mother and sister "free rein and they went crazy" dying his hair four different colours and tying ponytails on top of his head.

"But we're all going bald together. It's a group thing, so it won't really stand out at all," Mr Gale said.

And while some people chose to cut their hair into a mullet style, 17-year-old Oliver Gibbs' friend Harry shaved an "airstrip" through the centre of his curly locks.

"To be honest, I've been walking around like this all day so finally I can have a bald head," Mr Gibbs said.

Campbell Wallas, 17, was rushing off to lunch but stopped to describe how "weird" his head felt without his usually long locks flowing around him.

"I had long hair before, and there is just nothing now when I shake my head. The feeling is just... 'all gone'," Mr Wallas said.

Tom Hyslove said it felt good and that he didn't mind having any hair, while others became more mindful of how hot and blaring the Tamworth sun really was.

Every day about 50 Australians are diagnosed with a form of blood cancer, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics conducted in 2021, which is up from 47 a day in 2020.

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