Sukhjiwan Grewal from Berwick has been an avid donator of plasma for years.
He’s contributed more than 130 plasma donations over the past 10 years and with altruism as his guiding principle, he often urges those around him who can, to donate also.
But Mr Grewal says that the only obstacle stopping him from donating more frequently and likewise, a deterrence for many locals, is the lack of access to donation centres.
“If it was closer to the southeast, I would donate a lot more frequently,” said Mr Grewal.
Currently, the closest permanent Lifeblood donation centre near Casey is in Mount Waverley, which in the absence of traffic, can amount to a 30 minute drive.
While Lifeblood organises pop-up centres around the outer south-east they’re typically opened for a week until they move to another location; Mr Grewal says it would be beneficial for a permanent centre to be established in the area.
“Because it is so far from my house, traveling to Mount Waverley is about half an hour’s drive, one way, if there’s traffic, it’s even worse sometimes when you’re coming back.
“Otherwise, 130 donations would have been 260 to be honest, because I don’t mind donating it every fortnight. It doesn’t affect me at all.
“If they decide to open something in the southeast after Mount Waverley, there’s a lot of population and they will not only find more volunteers nearby but there’ll also be more donations from people living in the outer South East,” said Mr Grewal.
“And if it’s local, it will make people like me more frequent, because we have something close by.”
It’s a call that has been championed by many living in the outer south-eastern suburbs, heightened in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack in late 2025 which saw multiple significant injuries need blood transfusions.
At the time, Lifeblood made a call for immediate donors all over the country which saw donation centres across Victoria being inundated with bookings and walk-ins.
And while travelling didn’t deter many Casey locals from donating, it did highlight the growing need for closer and more accessible donation points.
Vicky, who works for Lifeblood says that Casey is “definitely on the priority” for a permanent donation centre.
“The more donors we can get from Casey the higher chance we have of getting a permanent donor centre,” said Vicky.
Pat Bollard, who is a chair member for patient advocacy group, says that patients with blood disorders are heavily dependent on regular blood transfusions.
“Sometimes it’s every three weeks. Some of them it’s every month. In some cases it’s every two weeks. It varies from individual patient to patient,” said Ms Bollard.
Working with Lifeblood, Pat says that they often work with Lifeblood to promote and support blood drives.
“One of the most important things is to highlight the significance of people donating blood if they’re in a position where they can donate blood,” she said.
“We are aware of how important blood products are to our members and our people.”
Despite the distance, Mr Grewal now plans his plasma donation according to his schedule, which can typically take 45 minutes to donate and up to 1.5 hours for the whole appointment.
But for the long-time donor, going out of his way is ok, as long as he’s playing a part in giving back.
“For me, it’s a lot to do with what I can give back to the community,” he told Star News.
“And I think donating blood is one of the really good ways to do it.
“I wish I had good finances, then I could do something financially as well, but I think blood donation is one of those actions that doesn’t take anything.
“It doesn’t cost you anything, it doesn’t impact your health, but still, you can help a lot of people who might need it very badly because of several situations they have in their life.”
“They (Lifeblood employees) take care of you. You have refreshments. After that, you sit down, relax. It’s a very good place. They take really good care of you once you’re there.
“It’s one of the productive ways to actually go and do something for the community and help out people in need. And that’s the least people can do.”
