Remembering Gino’s brave battle
The memory of a special former pupil is celebrated with brightly coloured chaos and dress-up fun at a Feilding school, every wig day.
Wig Wednesday is a Child Cancer Foundation fundraiser held throughout the country every year, which Feilding’s St Joseph’s School joins in to remember Gino Carroll.
The 11-year-old, who was ‘‘sportsmad’’, died of brain cancer in 2013.
‘‘It was a school-wide shock, that the whole school was taken aback by it. It’s just terrible to lose a child,’’ school administrator Mary Howard said. ‘‘So we do this in memory of Gino.’’ The 129 pupils bring a gold coin donation each and wear a coloured wig to school.
The day celebrates the courage of children facing cancer, and their smiles and spirit in the face of difficult circumstances that sometimes includes losing their hair.
‘‘A couple of little girls donated their pocket money too,’’ Howard said.
‘‘They are pretty cute in their wigs everywhere.’’
Meg Varney, 12, said wigs were itchy but fun, and it was a good cause.
‘‘It was really, really colourful today. It was really different. There was red and pink and blue.
‘‘It’s good because it’s a shame when kids get cancer and get really sick. It’s nice to make a small difference and then all together it makes a big difference for people with cancer.’’
Rylee Scott, 12, said she also liked being able to do something to help.
‘‘Cancer is awful. It’s just not fair for children. They’ve still got their whole lives ahead of them. ‘‘It’s really good to help.’’ More than 300 schools, businesses and organisations registered to take part in Wig Wednesday nationwide.
Donations are used by the Child Cancer Foundation to provide practical support for children battling cancer, and their families.