GIVE BLOOD NOW

The Melbourne Herald Sun. July 24, 2012.

Please consider becoming a regular blood donor. If you already give blood make your next appointment today. Contact details are below. 

Regardless of the Red Cross Blood Service' effectively shutting down our BLOOD CHALLENGES giving blood is the right thing to do.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service spends  $31 million a year on imported blood products! And more on expensive TV ads and spin doctors. The  number of Australians donating blood has been around 3% for years, so current campaigns do little to encourage local donors. Several times a year the media tells us about  another blood shortage.

It's not the donors fault. The  corporatisation  of our blood bank over the past decade or so has seen volunteers alienated, country  blood banks closed, a difficult booking system putting an end to BLOOD RUNS and cost-effective promotions like the MRA BLOOD CHALLENGE effectively shutdown across Australia or rebadged  excluding motorcycle & scooter organisations. 

The Victorian BLOOD CHALLENGE ran for 30 years from 1980 to 2010. The Red Cross replaced the MRA CHALLENGE with a computer game (That few used) and set up an emergency services challenge saying that rider groups should compete among themselves.


The BLOOD CHALLENGE encouraged thousands of donors to give blood and was a serious summer road safety promotion generating a lot of positive media at virtually no cost to the blood bank.

Australians  are  great  volunteers. Less spin, more heart equals more blood donors and less, or better yet no need, to import blood products. Call your local blood bank today and make an appointment. If you can give blood, you should. 


13 14 95   or  donateblood.com.au

Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne