I wouldn't know Australia's Tax Commissioner Rob Heferen if I fell over him, but I'll guess he is very busy overseeing the collection of around $750 billion of tax revenue this year. / (min cost $ 0 ) or signup to continue reading I'll take another guess his overly full weekly diary prevents him from being one of the country's regular blood donors. A few days ago, the Red Cross Blood Service, or LifeBlood as it is now branded, put out the call for more donations.
Since I first started donating more than 40 years ago the donation business has changed a lot. Once it was only blood, whereas today it includes plasma, platelets, microbiota and breast milk. Centres have been expanded, uniforms modernised and equipment upgraded, but the Red Cross has needed to find efficiencies.
A personal regret was the loss of the refreshment attendant who'd make the most fantastic milkshakes. The public calls for donations are becoming more frequent and perhaps it's not surprising. In the countless hours sitting and lying in the comfortable collection centre chairs chatting to the wonderful staff amid a jungle of whirring and beeping machines and tubes I've had the chance to think about the donation business.
And it's struck me the model of relying on volunteers that has served the nation so well for so long is becoming harder to sustain and might benefit from a little stimulus. Improving medical technology means more patients can be treated than ever before, raising the demand for blood products.
