Newcastle's Mulletfest crew hit the road this week to raise money for both the Mark Hughes Foundation and The Royal Flying Doctor Service.
They're in the Northern Territory for this weekend's Red CentreNATS car show and on Thursday night were front and centre at the Fringe Festival in Lasseter, south of Alice Springs, helping Charles Darwin University hairdressing apprentices with practical training in haircuts and styling.
The students cut mullets in return for a donation (with all proceeds going to the Royal Flying Doctor Service's Alice Springs Division) and will be working with Mulletfest organisers to help with styling for the mullet parade at Red CentreNATS on Saturday night and the family day on Sunday.
Mulletfest founder Laura Johnson, from Kurri Kurri, is a woman of many talents. The former licensee of the Chelmsford Hotel is a qualified hairdresser, yoga and pilates instructor and personal trainer, and owns and operates Hebburn Motorsport Park and J & L Heavy Haulage with her husband JJ.
The mother of four can hold a tune, too. Keep an eye out for footage of her singing Solid Rock and We Are Australia against a red earth backdrop while on tour.
Johnson spoke to the Newcastle Herald from Alice Springs on Friday morning and said she was "grateful for the opportunity to do the things we are doing through Mulletfest".
"This week I've been able to partner with the Charles Darwin University students and these girls are first and second year hairdressing students who, five years ago, wouldn't have been able to study hairdressing in Alice Springs," she said.
"The CDU didn't offer hairdressing as a subject because they couldn't get a teacher.
"These girls would have to take a week's leave from the salons where they were doing their apprenticeships to go to Darwin.
"They can study online and watch videos but hairdressers are touch-based, visual-based learners. Imagine trying to do that in one dimension on your computer screen, and without real-time feedback?"
Johnson was able to help the girls determine where to stand while they are cutting, and how to read face shapes and different hair textures - practical advice that requires one-on-one interaction.
"While we were cutting mullets in the tent I was able to say things like 'You're going to hurt your back if you do it like that' and 'Remember, those chairs move, lift him up to your level'," she said.
"Things that are nothing to do with mullets but it's an experience these girls will never forget. I just loved it. I love being able to share the things I have picked up along the way as a hairdresser, and the fact that we were able to pull it all together to raise a 1000 dollars for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, that's just the icing on the cake."
Johnson started Mulletfest in 2018 to inject money into the local economy in a fun way while also raising funds for the Mark Hughes Foundation. Mulletfest is now a national competition with heats held Australia wide.
Red CentreNATS is a three-day event in Alice Springs that features drag racing, burnouts, Shannons Show 'n' Shine, Great Northern 4WD course, grass driving, Lasseters Motorkhana, Mulletfest and the Yeperenye Street Parade, the largest of its kind in Australia.
Adults will be showing off their mullets on Saturday at the Alice Springs Inland Dragway, while children and families will parade their locks on Sunday at Blatherskite Park.
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