Wagga schoolboy Quade Smith has spent the past four years growing out his hair just to chop it all off.
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The 11-year-old has committed to donating his long locks to make wigs for cancer patients in September, and in the lead up to the big shave he has been fundraising tirelessly to raise extra money for his chosen charity, Can Assist.
Mum Naomi Michel said in May Quade decided to start holding stalls selling mug planters and collectibles in May to raise a bit extra, so far bringing in a total of $1765.
"He's always wanted to shave his hair and donate that for wigs," Ms Michel said. "He's been growing it for four years so I said why don't we do some fundraising for a local charity too?"
Most weekends the primary school student can be found outside his Kooringal home or at a local market selling his wares for the good cause.
Quade's crusade against cancer all started when he had the disease hit close to home at a young age.
In 2017, Ms Michel was diagnosed with cancer and underwent treatment which prompted her then-seven-year-old son to make a bold sacrifice.
"Mum had cancer four years ago and her hair was falling out so I chose to shave my head to make her feel happy," Quade said.
Ms Michel, who has since made a full recovery, said her son's decision was "pretty special".
When his hair began to grow back, Quade decided his efforts weren't done just yet, and he committed to growing it out to eventually donate to wigs, a four-year challenge that hasn't always been easy.
"He has been bullied a little bit because of it," Ms Michel said. "Sometimes he gets called a girl or his hair gets pulled.
"He's come home very upset a few times and I've said, 'You don't need to grow your hair, you can get it cut now if that's going to make you feel a bit better' but he says 'No, no I'm determined to do this' and he's stuck to his guns."
President of Can Assist Wagga John Nixon said Quade's efforts have been "unbelievable".
"This is phenomenal, I've never seen a young kid do this," Mr Nixon said. "He's done it off his own bat and that's the beauty of it.
"It's really impressive and just shows the character of the kid I think."
Funds raised for Can Assist remain within the community, so all of Quade's efforts will go towards helping Wagga residents battling the disease.
Ms Michel said she couldn't be prouder of her son, but that many within the community have also pitched in to help.
"He's had a lot of support from the community," she said. "We've had people offer us the cups and cuttings [for the cup planters], and that's just been amazing.
"It's not just us doing it, other people are helping us do it."
Donations to Quade's shave can be made online and he will also be raising money at an upcoming Can Assist trivia night.
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