Wodonga man Andrew Pullin reaches 550 blood donations in Albury

Wodonga's Andrew Pullin was on Thursday recognised by Lifeblood's Albury blood donor centre for his 550^th contribution.

Mr Pullin started at the age of 19 when he lived in Adelaide after a friend encouraged him to give blood donation a try and he has continued to support the cause 35 years later.

He clocked up 500 donations just two years ago and has the ultimate goal of 750 as he rolls up his sleeve every two weeks.

"A lot of people think it's about me but I'm just the pilot and these guys are the pit crew. They make the magic happen," Mr Pullin said.

"These guys are like family to me, I see them more often than I see some of my families and they are so friendly.

"They do a great job and don't get nearly enough credit for what they do."

Mr Pullin also spent time in Melbourne and Brisbane before he settled on the Border, but giving blood has been a constant.

"I just look at the numbers. For every 30 people, there's only one who is a blood donor, but one in three, a third of the population, is going to need blood or blood products over the course of their lifetime," he said.

"There's a lot of regular donors, but when things happen like the Bali Bombings for instance, we had heaps come on and start giving blood, but it's dropped off over time.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"Some of those people are still in hospital a year later and need the blood, which is on top of what they need for people with cancer and haemophilia."

Albury donor centre manager Sergio De Marchi said the service would be lost without its regular donors.

"The use of plasma is far broader and it helps a lot of different people in different situations," he said.

"There's clinical use in hospitals, but it goes a long way to help people battle cancer or people with blood disorders.

"The demand has grown year on year and will grow again next year.

"We've got a really good health system and innovation plays a big part because they're finding they're able to produce more or find new ways to use it for more people."

Mr De Marchi called upon the community to come forward with an additional 400 plasma and 100 blood donors required throughout December, while a further 100 plasma donations are needed at Wangaratta.

People aged between 18 and 75 who are generally healthy may be eligible to donate.

To book a donation call 13 14 95, visit lifeblood.com.au or download the Donate Blood app.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: