He's known for cutting the locks of our city's toughest and most famous footballers - but for Casper Aniversario, life nowadays is centred around a squad of tiny girls.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In just three years, Canberra's most famous barber has become the father of four daughters: Eva, 6, from wife Camille's first marriage, 16-month-old twins Franki and Gigi, and little Acacia, 8 weeks.
It's meant some serious life changes for Casper, including giving up his half of the hugely popular Mawson barbershop Casper & Shek's, whose client list includes David Pocock, Joe Tomane and Christian Lealiifano.
Casper - yes, he's named after the cartoon ghost of the same name - has just opened a small salon across town at the Narrabundah shops where he'll offer traditional hot towel face shaves, as well as mens and kids' cuts.
But gone are the days of waiting in a long line to sit in Casper's barber chair - his new barbershop is by appointment only.
"The girls have literally changed everything for me," Casper says.
"I was at a point where I was going to work while they were sleeping and getting home and they'd be back in bed.
"I loved the salon at Mawson but the hours were too long. I needed a solution where I could kiss them girls good morning and good night."
Casper became hairdresser to the stars in 2009 when his friend, a young Canberra Raiders player by the name of Josh Dugan, arrived at footy training with a traditional Maori design shaved into the side of his head.
The other players were impressed by Casper's scissoring skills, and a long line of them began heading to Mawson for similar designs by the former Marist College student.
It was a dream come true for the Filipino kid whose favourite pastime was once giving his mates a "short back and sides" in the backyard. ("I look at some of those haircuts now and just go - what was I thinking?" he laughs.)
Several high profile clients have already popped in to the new Casper's Barbershop at Narrabundah, including Parramatta Eels players Junior Paulo and Raiders player Dunamis Lui. Lui opted for the 'Father and Son' special for his son's first haircut.
"That's what the new salon's about - family," Casper says.
"My daughters are teaching me patience and they're teaching me that my job is to fend for them - that I now come second.
"They're already in the salon, helping with the sweeping and keeping customers entertained. It's awesome."
Casper also offers a mobile service for clients with special needs and can assist with haircuts for kids with sensory issues.
