By Brendan Rees
Felicity Smeets is certainly one to stay true to her word.
The die-hard Richmond fan recently underwent the ‘Dusty’ buzz cut to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Ms Smeets, of Cranbourne East said she agreed to undergo the clippers after posting a comment on her Facebook page on August 30 that “If Dustin Martin signed on with Richmond, and he got an All-Australian, got the Brownlow Medal and won the Grand Final, I would shave my head like his.”
She recalled being particularly nervous halfway through the Grand Final when Richmond had a surging lead: “I thought ‘Oh wow, I’m getting a haircut’.”
And to her surprise, all four boxes were ticked as outlined on her Facebook post.
Ms Smeets made the trip to her Zenity Hair Salon in Cranbourne East on Wednesday 1 November, with good friend and hairdresser Amy Doyle doing the honours of cutting her locks.
“I didn’t expect us to win the Grand Final but we did, and so true to my word all my friends were like ‘Yes you’ve got to do it’ and my kids are like ‘No you’re not’ but yes I did.”
“It’s very cold after having hair halfway down my back. It’s the longest my hair has been in 39 years.”
She said she met five year-old Mini Dustin Martin look-alike at the Grand Final, saying she would shave her head like Dusty. “He said ‘You’re a brave mummy you are.’”
Ms Smeets is using social media to get more donations for MND.
She initially aimed to raise up to $500, but says this could now reach nearly $3000, adding: “There’s going to be a fair bit of money coming through actually.
“There’s been more people get on board than what I thought. It’s gone far and wide.”
She said donations were still being accepted to fight the disease.
People interested in donating may visit the Facebook fan pages of Dustin Martin, Daniel Rioli and Kane Lambert in support of the cause or call the MND Association of Victoria on 9830 2122.
