Blood worth bottling!

13 March 25

Members of District 26 lodges recently rolled up their sleeves to give their gift. A gift so precious to so many, and yet it doesn’t cost the donor a cent.

Blood donations are crucial to medical care, and yet too many times we have seen supplies almost run out. Naturally we want to avoid the horror situation where hospitals have to make the agonising decisions of who gets what.

Of course there are eligibility criteria. Not everyone can give, and the reasons

can be many and varied; medical conditions, medications, medical history, etc. The organisation you deal with will ask you lots of questions to ascertain whether giving blood or plasma is not only safe for the recipient, but primarily safe for you. Meanwhile, here are some extracts from how reporter Emily Chate covered the event, reproduced with the kind permission of the Western Weekender.

Freemasons roll up their sleeves to give back in time of need – by Emily Chate

One of the oldest continued organisations in the world had its local chapter give back to the community when members of District 26 of NSW and ACT gathered together over the weekend to participate in a blood drive.

District Grand Inspector of Workings for the United Grand Lodge of NSW & ACT Greg Hind said giving back to the community is a major part of the Freemason culture.

‘Part of the tenets of Freemasonry is charity,’ Hind said. ‘I see charity as more than just popping a few dollars into a tin. It’s about giving back to the community and providing services and support, and giving your time. I saw this as a means of giving such support at a time when those resources are desperately needed in the lead up to Christmas and New Year.’

Being the first time the event ran, Hind said: ‘The event was pretty good. It was the first one we have organised and we had nine attend. It was quite a reasonable turnout for the first event I think.’

‘We got the group together and went down the blood bank and did the donations. In total our team has made six blood donations and five or six plasma donations.’

Hind said another blood drive is likely to happen along with other charitable events being planned for the year ahead.

‘I absolutely want to do it again. I’m encouraged by the start I’ve gotten and the role that I’ve taken on,’ Hind said.

‘I’m right at the start of my two-year term as District Grand Inspector of Workings. My plan is to do something like this in the lead up to Easter, the October long weekend and again before Christmas and New Year.

‘I take a great positive out of being able to support our local community and I’m looking forward to doing more things later on. It’s a role where I think I can make a difference for our organisation and raise our profile a bit. A lot of people out there have misconceptions about who we are and what we are about,’ Hind said.

Find out if being a blood or plasma donor is right for you. Here are just two of many websites that can answer your questions:

• Australian Red Cross: www.redcross.org.au
• Lifeblood: lifeblood.com.au