The decision to give blood started when the Student Representative Council wanted to assist people who had sustained life threatening injuries during the Victorian fires.

Their hands were tied to some degree by the prolonged drought in southern NSW. With not a lot of ready cash, the students came up with the idea of a clothing pool and giving blood.

“At the time of the fires in February there were calls for donations of blood by the Red Cross Blood Bank due to a shortage and we thought it was one way we could help,” Billabong High School captain Steven Taylor said.

Staff members supported the students in their endeavours. A total of 40 donors bravely lined up at the mobile blood unit; two-thirds students and the balance were staff members.

“Hopefully we can make it an annual event. I don’t see why other schools don’t do it - we are all young and healthy so it fits very well,” Steven said.

Although a few were unable to donate due to coughs and colds, at the end of the day 32 bags of blood were collected and sent off to the Clarence Street Processing and Distribution Centre in Sydney. There it will be tested and separated into its three components - red cells, plasma and platelets - and stored until it is needed by a hospital.

“This is a wonderful effort, Billabong High School should be very proud,” said Neil Wright, Donor Centre Manager for the Wagga based Mobile Unit.

“Each donation can help three people, meaning this school has potentially saved the lives of almost 100 people in just one day.”

Following the Victorian Bushfires 41,000 people pledged to donate blood, meaning stocks have remained at a good level for some time. However winter is always a challenging time for the blood service as illness often prevents regular donors keeping their appointments.

“These collections from new donors at Billabong High School will be assist us to maintain our blood stocks over the winter period,” said Mr Wright.