Career cuts it for Mark

BRENDAN CRABB

AS a sixth generation barber, Mark Foster said he never dreamed of doing anything else.

"I gave it a go to keep the family trade going; I enjoyed it and I'm still here 20 years later," he said.

Mr Foster is the latest in a long family line of English barbers, dating back to when Foster's Barbers was first opened in Bolton, near Manchester, in the 1880s by his great-great-great grandfather Tom.

Mr Foster moved to Australia six months ago and has now opened a new barbershop, Ahead For Him, in Terralong Street.

"I'm the first member of my family to relocate to Australia," he said.

"It was a bit too busy in England and I came here a couple of years ago for a holiday and loved the place " the lifestyle, the sunshine and the people " and wanted to move here permanently."

Foster's Barbers was at one time the largest barbershop in Bolton, especially during the 1950s when English soccer star Nat "The Lionheart" Lofthouse was one of his grandfather Herbert's most popular customers.

Mr Foster has few memories of visiting his father Michael at the shop as a child, but says the business has always largely remained the same and he enjoys working in an old-fashioned business.

Mr Foster can do all the traditional haircuts that he learnt from his grandfather's apprentice, John Julian, who was a silver medallist in the 1977 World Hairdressing Championships.

Fifty years on his father is still operating as a barber and hairdressing teacher back home and, although Mark is also a qualified assistant scuba diving instructor, he said he still loved being a barber.

"It's still very much a people business," he said.

"It's really good getting to meet new people on a personal basis.

"It's always been a very social business to be in."