CHANGING THE FACE OF MEN’S HEALTH:
Dimboola Stockfeed and Produce owner Neil Shaw is growing a handlebar moustache to raise money for Movember men’s charity, which is aiming to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25 percent, by 2030. Mr Shaw’s son, Stuart, died from a rare form of blood cancer in 2016, aged 30. Mr Shaw will allow one donor to his campaign to shave his face at the end of the month.
Neil Shaw is well aware life can change in an instant and there is little you can do about it.
He is, however, determined to do what he can to raise money and awareness of men’s health issues, particularly cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.
Mr Shaw, who owns Dimboola Stockfeed and Produce, is adding to his already hirsute look by growing a handlebar moustache for the month.
He has a tin on the counter of his store, with all money raised going towards Movember, the leading charity ‘changing the face of men’s health’.
“If people want to put some money in, that would be a good idea,” Mr Shaw said.
“It’s about men’s health, and there’s plenty of people who are suffering out there from prostate cancer and some of the others, such as lymphoma. It’s a bit of an epidemic, really.”
Mr Shaw’s already-impressive moustache is in honour of his son, Stuart, who died in January 2016 from an extremely rare form of blood cancer.
“He was only 30 when he died, which is too young,” Mr Shaw said.
“He was a fitness fanatic – he was planning to run at the Stawell Gift that year.”
Mr Shaw said his son was a popular young man, well known in the Warrnambool community.
“He played footy down there and he worked at the picture theatre,” he said.
“A lot of people knew him – he was a bit of an identity in Warrnambool.
“I went down there one day and people kept walking past and saying, ‘G’day Stewie’. ‘Hello’. ‘Hello’. I said, ‘You’ll be running for mayor down here. Everybody knows you, from elderly ladies to young kids’.
“They all knew him, but he wanted to do something a bit different and went into the army.”
Stuart joined the army in 2011 and in 2014, embarked on his own Movember fundraising campaign at the Townsville base.
“He grew a big handlebar moustache and then there was a thing about who was going to shave his moustache off,” Mr Shaw said.
“The commanding officer put up $200-odd dollars, so that was okay.
“Then the CO said, ‘I’ll do it too and I’ll put up my car space in front of headquarters as a promotion’.
“Stuart said there was never going to be any doubt about who got the car space. He bought it.
“The irony of it was, a few months later he contracted a very rare form of cancer in the blood and bone marrow.
“That happened in July and by January he passed away.”
On July 31, Stuart collapsed at the base in Townsville, two days before he was due to be medically discharged from the army.
“They said it was the best of worst things. Because he was still in the army, the army would take over,” Mr Shaw said.
“And they did. They flew him down to Geelong in a C20 as the only cargo.
“I can’t speak more highly about the army, they were marvellous.”
Losing the lot
Like his son did before him, Mr Shaw will allow one lucky donor to shave his face at the end of the month.
“I’m going to lose the lot,” he said.
“The winner gets drawn out and they get the chance to mow it down.”
Mr Shaw said he did not have a webpage or a social media presence, but people could donate in store.
He and his wife Rosemary took over Dimboola Stockfeed and Produce in February this year.
“Two years ago we came up to retire, to Minyip. We bought an old church to do up. Of course, once that was finished, I had to look for another project,” Mr Shaw said.
He said he had no intention of buying a hardware store.
“I came over and bought a couple of shops in the main street as a bit of a renovation project,” he said.
“My wife said, ‘Go and have a look at the hardware store’.
“I said, ‘I don’t want to do seven days a week, I’ve had enough of doing that’.
“And she said, ‘It’s only five and a half days’. “I said, ‘Oh, alright’. “I thought I’d pacify her by coming and having a look.
“We walked through and walked out the front and I said, ‘You know what? We shouldn’t die wondering’. And here we are.
“Our family think we’re mad, because I clicked over 70 in March and my wife’s clicked over a few more years than that.
“But we love it. We’re people persons.”
• People can visit au.movember.com to find out more about the Movember movement, its causes and how they can participate.