Volume
49, No. 15, August 24 , 2006
Rarely do “bloody stories” have happy endings but they do at HMAS Albatross where the commanding officer CAPT Ian Ferguson inspired scores of RAN personnel to participate in a blood drive recently.
The blood drive by the Australian Red Cross at Albatross last month demonstrated that “blood is thicker than water” among the Navy fraternity.
Scores of Albatross personnel gave donations that provided the Blood Bank with 90 fresh packs of blood and a further 30 test packs for other uses.
CAPT Ferguson led by example and gave blood “because it is vital that public servants and other community-minded persons do so”.
“It is vital that we give blood because Australia has one of the lowest rates of blood donations per capita,” he said.
“To all those people out there who might be thinking about donating blood, it doesn’t hurt a bit.”
CAPT Ferguson’s leadership served to inspire scores of donors, with more than 80 per cent being first-time givers.
The attending Nurse Unit Manager of the Red Cross Blood Service, Luke Neven said: “The response to the drive was very positive.”
