Rockhampton Grammar’s First XIII Shave for Cure ahead of Confraternity

Meet the schoolboys rugby league team whose annual hair-raising Confraternity Carnival tradition is raising thousands of dollars for a good cause.

Rockhampton Grammar's First XIII has taken part in the World's Greatest Shave in the lead-up to the Confraternity Carnival every year since 2017.

An act of goodwill that prefixed Rockhampton Grammar’s maiden Confraternity Shield win has now become a mainstay of the footy team’s carnival preparation.

Since 2017, the year in which the school celebrated that remarkable sporting achievement, its First XIII rugby league team has taken part in the World’s Greatest Shave.

Over that time, the players have raised more than $25,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation’s battle against blood cancer.

Remarkably, this year’s team has raised almost $15,000 and is closing in on its new target of $20,000.

Rockhampton Grammar five-eighth and school prefect Bronson Carlos loses his locks in last year's shave.

Continuing the proud tradition, the boys will go under the razor this Friday, sporting their close-cropped hairdos at the 2025 Confraternity Carnival, which kicks off in Rockhampton on Monday.

A record 72 schoolboys and schoolgirls teams will contest the event, which runs from Monday to Friday, and will be played at Kettle Park, Saleyards Park and host school The Cathedral College.

Grammar five-eighth and school prefect Bronson Carlos is back for his second shave and his second shot at Confro after being part of the First XIII last year as well.

“Leukaemia is something that affects a lot of people so to get the opportunity to raise funds and awareness for it is really important and worthwhile,’’ he said.

Members of Rockhampton Grammar's 2024 Confraternity Carnival squad after having their heads shaved for charity.

Ged Moriarty was part of the Confro-conquering team of 2017 and then school captain.

He said it was “really heartwarming” to have left such a legacy, which continued to contribute in a positive way to the broader community.

“I give a shout-out to the team for getting on board in raising awareness and acknowledge the humility in it,’’ said Moriarty, who now lives in Melbourne.

“You never know what people are going through, some people might have been affected by leukaemia, and something like this helps break down barriers to talk about these things and help provide support.

The Rockhampton Grammar School team celebrates its win at the Confraternity Shield.

“There’s bigger things in the world than playing in a rugby league competition and our efforts contributed to that, both with generating awareness and raising money for the Leukaemia Foundation.”

Moriarty believes that being involved in Shave for a Cure also helped galvanise the 2017 team and contributed to its Confro glory.

“It made us more connected, and it made us all the same,” he said.

“I also think bringing together that connection helped us take out the carnival that year.”

Rockhampton Grammar 2017 First XIII player and then school captain Ged Moriarty before and after the shave.

Grammar’s director of co-curricular Todd Wells has witnessed each of the shaves.

He said while the initiative was created to forge a bond between players and to highlight the great opportunity to be involved in events such as Confro, it also showed that everyone could contribute to causes that have far-reaching impacts.

“This obviously worked for the team in 2017 as they went on to win Confraternity that year,’’ he said.

“The bonus over the years has been that it also creates a conversation point at Confraternity, which further promotes this great cause around the wider community during the rugby league carnival.”

The team will continue taking donations throughout the Confraternity Carnival. People can donate here.