A Sydneysider has stolen the crown of Canberra's Best Beard.
John Ainley, in Canberra for a work trip, decided to visit his favourite pub, King O'Malley's and while there entered the establishment's best beard competition.
His 49-centimetre beard, which he's been growing since 2017, was judged to be the best, against some stiff competition.
"When they announced the winner, it was a slow walk up to the front by me, not because of any bravado, but because I was like, 'Are you sure?'," John, 48, said with a laugh.
"There were a lot of very good beards there."
John, who works in admin, said it was the first time he'd entered a beard competition.
He has a few tips for others trying to get beyond a four-day growth.
"I use a range of products like oils and beard balms, the hair dryer. I try to use different brands to essentially get that different chemical profile," he said.
"For anyone trying to grow a beard and giving up because it's too itchy, that's the skin drying out from not getting any moisture. So oil is good for that.
"I've just learnt different things over the years. YouTube University teaches you a lot. Or if you see someone with a nice beard, it might be a nice cut or shape, ask them a question."
Keeping the beard long and in good condition requires discipline. Eating can be hard.
"I haven't had an egg and bacon roll in four years," he said.
"I love pumpkin soup. Soup in winter is a difficult thing to deal with. I usually just stuff my beard down my shirt or jumper."
John won some products and beer and a trophy, which now sits on a shelf behind him at work.
The competition at King O'Malley's was officially opened by the hirsute Federal MP for Hunter Dan Repacholi, who was later awarded the inaugural "Best Beard on the Hill" award as part of the proceedings.
More than 25 Canberrans also had a free skin check at the pub, with Dr Justin Karapas recommending that several people go on for further investigates of potentially suspicious changes to their skin which may indicate the early stage of skin cancer.
The Skin Check in the Pub was supported by Beard Season Skin Check Champions a charity founded by Scott Maggs.
Publican Peter Barclay said that this was a great success in encouraging men, in particular, to look after their heath.
