21/10/2026
✂️ Hair, Heart & High Humidity: Kaz & Kez’s Cambodian Adventure! 🇰🇭❤️
As part of Community Economic Development Month, Jodie brought us two real local legends: sisters, besties, and renowned hairdressers Karen Dillon and Kerrie Gillet—affectionately known to everyone as Kaz & Kez!
With a combined 79 years in hairdressing (Kaz clocking 44 years and Kez with 35), these two admit they can talk all day. But when they set their sights on helping an overseas community, their chatter turned into pure, life-changing action.
"Wait, Where Are We Going?!" ✈️
It all started when a sales representative from De Lorenzo mentioned heading to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Kaz and Kez immediately wanted in!
Kaz’s daughter wasn't so sure at first, jokingly warning her: "You’re not coming home, you’re going straight to a local jail! Oh s*t, what do we do if you get lost?!"*
Even Kaz’s husband had his thoughts—. "If you're going all that way, why only go for a week? Go for a month!" he urged. With local news reporting world tensions at the time, Kez's husband needed a little more convincing.
Kaz and Kez are no strangers to giving back—from working on Miss Australia awards to fundraising for Cerebral Palsy, charity is in their DNA, with their Mum Val one of their best supporters.
So, they joined the GoFundMe campaign, and the local community overwhelmed them with generosity! Money, supplies, and bags upon bags of donations came flooding in. Local businesses, clients, friends from the hairdressing industry, and everyday legends all chipped in—including 20 local Griffith Trauma Teddies ("Do you really think the kids will like them?" Spoilers: They loved them!).
Because Siem Reap was sitting at a sweltering 38°C, the sisters packed super light, leaving every square inch of luggage space for donations and essential hairdressing tools, including practice mannequin heads. (Imagine opening a suitcase at customs and finding a dozen severed "dolly heads" staring back at you!).
Pro Tip: They packed everything in suitcases so they could donate or leave the bags behind, opening up even more room to bring home memories!
The Mission: A "Hand Up, Not a Hand Down" 💇♀️
When they landed, Siem Reap was still recovering from the pandemic. They stayed at the Baby Elephant, a boutique hotel that hadn't seen guests in months and was running at just 40% occupancy. The locals welcomed them with open, tear-filled arms.
To fit in and respect local culture, strict uniform rules applied:
🚫 No ankle showing
🚫 No jewellery
🚫 No makeup
✅ Total modesty to blend in with the local community
Alongside 20 other volunteers, Kaz and Kez joined Hair Aid—an incredible organisation that empowers people living in extreme poverty by teaching them a marketable trade in record time.
The challenge? Teach approximately 60 students 8 distinct haircuts in just 4 days.
Many of these students—ranging from young mums holding babies to teenagers—had never even held a pair of scissors before.
Sweat, Tears & Trendy Cuts 💦✂️
The sisters were split up into different teaching zones—Kez in a house, Kaz in a community hall—working non-stop from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM in intense heat and also spent time in a jail. Kaz laughed that she "didn't even know your eyeballs could sweat!"
Finding model clients was a wild adventure in itself. When students ran out of models, they’d march right out onto the dusty streets to recruit people!
At one village, a Buddhist monk arrived to bless the hairdressers. Instead of a gentle sprinkle, it turned out to be a full-on splash of water—which everyone immensely appreciated in the scorching heat!
The locals were initially terrified of getting their hair cut because traditionally, village barbers just shave the whole head bare. But once Kaz and Kez reassured them with their new favorite vocabulary—"tik, tik" (meaning just a little bit!)—the magic happened.
One woman got a stylish, trendy haircut, looked in the mirror, and couldn't stop smiling. Before they knew it, an expected line of 50 people ballooned into a queue of over 100 people waiting for a fresh look!
Graduation & Lasting Impact 🎓✨
By the end of the week, after plenty of sweat, laughter, and happy tears, an astounding 98% of the students graduated!
At the graduation ceremony, every student who passed received their very own official scissor kit. With that certificate and kit in hand, these men and women can immediately set up their own small hairdressing business—even if it's just a couple of chairs out the front of their home—to earn an income, get off the streets, and support their families.
As if the trip wasn't special enough, Kerrie was awarded Volunteer of the Year for her incredible dedication and stepping way out of her comfort zone! 🏆
Heart Prints That Last Forever 💖
Reflecting on the experience, both Kaz and Kez were deeply moved by organizations like Heart Print—a charity whose motto says it all: "It puts a print in your heart."
They went to teach a skill, but came back with lifelong memories, deep friendships, and a powerful reminder of what community spirit is all about: giving people a hand up, not a hand out, and giving a voice to those who need it most.
🌐 Want to support these incredible causes?
Hair Aid: hairaid.org.au
Heart Print: heartprint.org.au
Griffith Community Noticeboard Admin Rotary District 9705 95.1 2MIA FM Griffith Griffith Meals on Wheels and Hampers of Hope Murrumbidgee Regional High School
Did you get a chance to hear Kaz & Kez speak in person, or have you ever taken part in a volunteer trip like this? Let us know in the comments below!
