Highway’s Rapunzel lets down her locks
The determined eight-year-old shed 45cm of her hair and donated it to charity.
UPPER Highway’s Rapunzel, Talja Lubbe, was only too happy to shed her golden locks in support of cancer patients.
The eight-year-old, who had a ponytail of 72cm before she visited the hairdresser recently, was given the nickname of the famed Disney princess by family and passersby and then by her friends when she started Grade 1 in 2019.
The idea of cutting off her hair for charity started when she saw an advert on television.
After her parents explained to her what the hair would be used for, she replied confidently that she would like to cut off her hair for those who do not have any.
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Lubbe said she felt immensely sorry for family members and school educators who were suffering from cancer and wanted to help in a way she could.
She had her first haircut at three years old and has since grown her hair with one minimal trim.
She has also claimed three drawers for herself: one for elastics, one for clips and the last one for school hair accessories.
“I may have another secret drawer that is filled with alice bands and bows for special occasions and dress up time,” she smiled.
When it came time for her to sit in the hairdresser’s chair and chop off her golden mane, she didn’t shed a single tear.
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Instead, she was slightly nervous and overwhelmed with excitement.
“My eyes went all big but it felt quite normal. It was more important for me to know that I was doing something for the community. My heart was smiling and, even wearing a mask, you could see my eyes smiling too,” she said.
Once the haircut was complete and she was holding the 45cm ponytail, she was all smiles and felt both proud and happy.
Lubbe’s next outreach project is to give clothes to children in need and has already started her own collection with a bag under her bed and donated her old bicycle to a local children’s home.
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Her aspiration is to become an artist and educator.
She has a passion for drawing, sketching and painting beautiful artwork from her imagination. She enjoys playing with her dollhouse, dancing and doing the splits.
“She loves the outdoors, is a natural runner, she is always laughing, being creative and shining sunlight into our lives. Talja is a dream child, we love her very much,” said her doting mom, Jana.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
