Daniel Chauvin
Sooke News Mirror
It’s that time of year where men from around the world cultivate a fuzzy upper lip in the name of men’s health. Movember is a growing tradition where men, waxing philosophical about the moustache, use the month of November to shave clean and over the span of the month, express themselves through the of fructifying of facial fuzz. The event had it’s beginnings in Adelaide, South Australia, where a group of men coined the term “Movember” one night in a pub. Starting with 80 men, the event has since burgeoned into a veritable jungle of moustaches, spilling over into the borders of Canada, Ireland, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Spain, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Taiwan and the United States. Canadians have been the largest contributors to the Movember charities of any nation since 2011.
Locally, the Sooke Firefighters Association have taken up the cause and have challenged their Metchosin counterparts to a moustache duel. The loser, that is, the group that raises less money for the charity, has to wash the winners’ fire trucks. Sooke RCMP have since joined the fray and have accepted the challenge. Ben Temple, a Sooke firefighter, expressed, “How high the rates of cancer are amongst firefighters in particular. It’s disgusting. The flip side of it is this event helps improve the relations between our mutual aid partnerships. With Sooke growing in size, and with new buildings such as the Hope Centre, it becomes essential to protect the town with a collaborative effort from the other fire and police departments.”
Movember has become the unofficial second charity of the Sooke Fire Department, behind Muscular Dystrophy. Three of the oldest chiefs have promised to shave their ancient whiskers if the association gets over $6,000 in donations. One chief has not shaved his moustache for over 40 years!
The rules of Movember are as follows: 1) Once registered at Movember.com each Mo Bro must begin the 1st of November with a clean shaven face. 2) For the entire month of Movember each Mo Bro must grow and groom a moustache. 3) Don’t fake it. No Beard, no goatees, no fake moustaches. 4) Use the power of the moustache to create conversations about men’s health and to raise funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health. 5) Each Mo Bro must conduct himself like a true gentleman.
The characters of moustaches are wide and varied. From the blunt ‘Regent’ and ‘Box Car’, to the highly stylized ‘Connoisseur’ to the pinched ‘Abracadabra’ and ‘Wisp’ to the badass ‘Trucker’ and ‘Rock Star’, the moustache is experiencing a regal renaissance in its own right. Gentlemen, grow your lip grass with gusto!