Graham Goddard has helped save up to 1950 lives - just by rolling up his sleeve.
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On Friday the 67-year-old clocked up his 650th blood donation. It's something he started doing when he was 17 years old, inspired by his mother who was also a long-time donor.
After years working as an ambulance officer, Mr Goddard got to see firsthand why blood donation was so important and said it was something everyone should consider.
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"It's a no-brainer if you ask me. It is such an easy thing to do, you just need to show up," he said.
"They will always need blood donations, you can't make it in a machine. So for me, it's always been something I wanted to do and I encourage others to do the same."
A blood donation is needed every 24 seconds to meet the ongoing blood needs of Australian patients. This National Blood Donor Week (June 14-20), Lifeblood is celebrating the achievements of all of its blood donors - and calling for new ones.
The City of Launceston Town Hall will light up red from June 17-21 to celebrate the more than 4000 Launceston donors.
With each donation travelling on average 370 kilometres to where it is needed most, Lifeblood spokeswoman Ann Harvey said blood donation allowed ordinary people to become extraordinary lifesaver.
"From cancer patients to road trauma victims, people with blood disorders to burns victims, donated blood underpins quality healthcare in Australia," she said.
"Each week, Australia's blood donors collectively give 31,000 donations - that's the equivalent of a donation every 24 seconds in the time our blood donor centres are open.
"We need a new donor every five minutes so we're asking others, particularly those who have not donated before, to use this week to make a change for life by becoming a blood donor."
This week Lifeblood, with help from social media giant Facebook, launched a new blood donation feature in Australia, aimed at helping top up blood donation reserves with much needed new donors.
The feature will allow those aged between 18 and 75 to sign up to receive updates on Facebook about giving blood, get notified about opportunities to donate at local blood donation centres and invite friends to donate.
"We know Facebook is a great way to spread the message about giving blood, so we're really excited about the blood donation feature which will allow donors to receive local updates and encourage their friends to do the same," Ms Harvey said.
The Launceston Donor Centre still needs more than 160 additional donors this month.
To book download the DonateBlood app, visit donateblood.com.au or call 131 495.
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