After a rollercoaster time for me over the past month, this is it, the final day of my Mo Bro Tickly Tash and I must say it has been fun.
 
The highlight was visiting St Christopher’s Senior School (for the first time) and being overawed with all those wonderful teachers sporting varying degrees of fantastic facial hair growth –  these guys should be applauded from a standing position and given a huge pat on the back. 

Steve Keeble, deputy head, Kevin Stewart, maths teacher, Ali Goucem, ICT teacher, Srini, head caretaker, Barry Hobday, head of geography, Andrew Beck, head of Year 12, Tom Pollard, maths teacher, David Williams, assistant head, Daniel Lee, science teacher, Richard Dixon-Clarke, geography teacher, Martin Plunkett DT teacher and Jim Rowark, economics teacher, pictured above, as well as many other male teachers, have all joined the Movember movement at St Christopher’s Senior School.

Last year’s efforts raised more than BD650 and teachers, support staff and pupils hope to donate a similar amount to Bahrain Cancer Society this time round.

Whilst shaking hands and being arranged into a group for the grand finale photograph, organiser Barry and the guys were telling me all about the pupils’ sterling efforts to join in and help increase Movember awareness with some fantastic ideas. The 6th Form students will be joining in the fun today by donating BD1 to the cause by coming to school dressed in blue, the colour to signify men’s health, on a special mufti day. Schoolgirls have also been selling pink moustache badges to support the cause.

Let us all remember that although we may not raise millions of dinars, we are all helping to remind people that men’s health is an important thing to check on a regular basis.

So the response to my hairy lip has varied from it ‘really suiting me’, to ‘am I going to keep it’ and also once I was asked if there was some ‘ginger’ in there somewhere. 

Well, I can safely say that tomorrow morning the razor will be used to full effect and once again return my face to a fantastic clean-shaven look.

But that doesn’t mean that myself and many others will stop trying to promote all the causes the Movember campaign is so successfully backing. Wherever I am this time next year, I will be attempting to grow once again the famed Stevie George ‘hint of ginger’ moustache, but I will try an alternative style ... maybe along the design of actor Jason Lee (star of the My Name Is Earl TV series) and sincerely hope I can complete my target.

With this being the finale to the Movember Music Box after five great weeks I must thank all the hard-working staff at GulfWeekly for all of their support, and I have compiled a list of songs which may resound acoustically around their office on the last Wednesday of November 2011.

Europe – The Final Countdown
Kings Of Leon – The End
Melba Moore – This Is It
Ce Ce Peniston – Finally
Donna Summer – No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
ABBA – Thank You For The Music

Normal Music Box service will resume next week, so until then my supportive tickly tash-loving friends let me leave you with this thought aimed at our younger readers: Respect your elders – as they made it through school without Google or Wikipedia.