Victim Evie lives for others

Officer hit and run survivor Evie Rook is shaving her head for cancer. 177998 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

By Bonny Burrows

She’s gone through one of the most traumatic experiences any child – or adult – could face, but Evie Rook is more worried about helping others.
The eight-year-old was one of the children injured in 16 February’s Officer hit and run, but instead of dwelling on the incident, Evie’s focusing on something she sees as important – shaving her head for cancer.
Evie was walking home from her new school St Clare’s with big brother Mitch about 3.30pm when she was hit by a ute, later found to be stolen, while crossing the Princes Highway near Grandvue Boulevard.
Despite being pulled away by Mitch, Evie was knocked down and clipped on the ear by the fast-moving vehicle, which father Teague said she never saw coming.
“I knew it was a car that because what else would hit me?” Evie said.
“I was crying at the start but then I calmed down. I was worried about my friends.”
It’s this selflessness – her desire to help others even in the midst of horrific circumstances – and resilience that has won the praise of all who know her.
Just one day after the incident, Evie celebrated her eighth birthday party surrounded by family and friends.
The following day, Evie was again begging her parents to let her shave her head.
It was something she had been nagging her parents to do for about a year, but following the collision her parents thought she would brush the idea aside.
“When she asked again on Sunday, that’s when we thought, ‘ok, she’s serious’,” Mr Rook said.
“Why wouldn’t I still do it?” Evie asked in disbelief.
Despite still being on the mend physically, and not to mention bearing unimaginable emotional scars, the Grade 3 student returned to St Clare’s on the Monday morning following the incident.
“Our thought was to get back to normal as much as possible,” Mr Rook said.
“The school’s been brilliant.”
It’s this desire for normality which has seen Evie continue with her fund-raiser for the Leukaemia Foundation.
Her head shave will take place at the school at a date yet to be decided, but probably next month to coincide with the World’s Greatest Shave initiative.
Less than a week after starting the fund-raiser, Evie was just a couple of hundred short of her $1000 goal.
The family said they were blown away but the generosity of the local community.
“Someone gave me $100. I don’t even know who they were,” Evie said.
The Rotary Club of Pakenham also donated a large sum of money, given directly by its members, which include Evie’s grandfather Ken Rook.
To donate to Evie’s head shave, visit: https://worldsgreatestshave.com/ and search for ‘Evie Rook’.