By Callum Ludwig
A Hillcrest CFA member has been volunteering and saving lives in more ways than one.
First Lieutenant Andrew Smith has been donating blood for about 10 years and recently hit the 50 donation milestone.
Mr Smith said it was always something that had been in the back of his mind after a former employee told him about it.
“It was about 15 years ago, and he used to go down and donate plasma, which got me interested. Soon I was in a position where I had a little more time available, and decided to go down to the Healesville mobile blood bank at the time and found out about it a bit more,” he said.
“It was quite easy for me to go, I was going through Healesville every night after work, so it was easy for me to call in every few months and donate That got me in the system and in the rhythm of doing it.”
Mr Smith hit 50 donations as part of his contribution to the Emergency Services Blood Challenge, where emergency services members of all persuasions attempt to donate blood between 1 June and 31 August.
Mr Smith said the donating process is quick and easy.
“The actual donation only takes about five minutes, and because my veins are a reasonable size they asked if I’d donate plasma if I had the time, as it takes about an hour,” he said.
“The beauty of giving plasma is you can give it fairly frequently whereas for blood you have to wait three months between donations. So I started donating plasma a bit more often than blood and ended up at 50 the other day.”
In the Blood Challenge, teams can come out on top in four categories: Most donations, Most plasma donations, Most new donors and Highest year-on-year growth.
Mr Smith said hitting 50 makes him want to push for the next milestone.
“The next one in blood land is 75 I think, and so I can always make a call and ask if there is a vacancy, or you can book it on the app,” he said.
“Like so many volunteer things, it gives you a tremendous sense of satisfaction and a way to contribute to the broader community. Some people are hesitant because they are scared of needles or might be queasy, but the needle going in doesn’t really hurt and while I still get a bit queasy at points, it’s no big deal.”
There are a number of other blood challenges throughout the year, such as the Tertiary, Health Services and Defence challenges that have already occurred, and the still-to-come Local Government and Financial Services challenges.
Mr Smith said you don’t have to be a part of a competition or group to donate blood.
“You do it for the wellbeing of the community, and overall it’s a very positive experience. Plasma can be not only used directly but can be used to create a number of blood products which have multiple uses,” he said.
“Then you get a nice sausage roll or party pie, hot chocolate or a cup of coffee at the end of it as part of the deal while you sit around for 15 to 20 minutes to make sure you are feeling good. It’s my treat for the week, especially when you get a Freddo frog as well.”
More information on donating blood including whether you are eligible, where you can donate and how to prepare for giving blood can be found at www.lifeblood.com.au.
Mr Smith said Hillcrest has a few donors across the brigade and he’d like to see even more.
“I’d like to push to crank up the numbers a little bit, even across the group of Upper Yarra fire brigades, because if we get enough members, the blood bank will come to us,” he said.
“We could spend a day with them taking blood on site, it could be an option down the track, without a doubt.”
