Oldest World’s Greatest Shave entrant spurred by tragedy

‘Nobody should have to bury their children’: Why this 87-year-old Warwick woman is shaving her head for a great cause.

BIG TRIM: Barbara Woods will chop off her locks today for a great cause.

OVER her 87 years, Barbara Woods has seen too many lives lost to the cruel battle of cancer.

As if the heartbreak over losing her husband Alan to lung cancer wasn’t enough, Ms Woods also lost her son, rodeo rider and young dad Robert Woods, to cancer, as well as several of the family’s rodeo friends.

“Robert was a very fit person but they misdiagnosed him said he had the flu instead of cancer,” she said.

“They took his kidney out and six months later he was dead.

“Nobody should have to bury their children.”

It was why, in 2016, Ms Woods rallied together donations from the Akooramak Aged Care family and chopped off all her locks for the World’s Greatest Shave.

“I was here and I wasn’t going out so people couldn’t see me,” she said.

Four years later and Ms Woods was still going strong, becoming the oldest official Queensland shaver for the charity, as of today.

Ms Woods said she long gotten over the fear of cutting off her hair.

“It’s just a one day wonder, people look at you the first day, but the next day they don’t even see what you look like,” she said.

In the past, Ms Woods had usually raised $800—900 each year for the cause but hoped this year to crack the $1000 mark with help from residents and mayor Tracy Dobie,

“I think every little bit helps, even if it’s just a couple of dollars, it might be the little bit they need,” she said.

“I would do anything for everybody.

“And if I’m still well enough next year, it’ll come off again.”

You can donate to Ms Woods’ cause by dropping off donations to the Akooramak nursing home.

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