Defence Blood Drive: Townsville veteran nears 500 blood donations, no plans to stop saving lives

Every 14 days, Townsville man Gary Mantell saves three lives, and early next year, he will have saved 1500. Find out what fuels his mission and why he’s urging others to roll up their sleeves.

Gary Mantell, at the Townsville Lifeblood Centre in Garbutt, will reach the milestone of his 500th blood donation in January and is urging people to get behind the current Defence Blood Drive. Picture: Evan Morgan

Every 14 days, Townsville man Gary Mantell saves three lives, and early next year, he will have saved 1500.

The former soldier, now with the Security and Estate Group, is set to reach an incredible milestone on January 30 next year, making his 500th blood donation.

With the 2024 Defence Drive underway until December 8, he’s encouraging others to roll up their sleeves and join him in saving lives.

“Every time you donate, you help three lives. So I just think of myself as coming up to 1500 lives,” he said.

“I encourage everyone to put, put their arm out. Spend an hour sitting in a chair having a cup of coffee and a sausage roll afterwards.”

The Defence Blood Drive has been saving lives for 16 years, but Mantell, the SEG Blood Ambassador, began donating blood when he was first posted to Townsville as a young soldier with B Squadron 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment 40 years ago.

“I could have said that I started donating blood because I wanted to help people suffering from immune diseases, cancer and other disease that affect the blood, but that’s not why I first started donating blood,’ Gary said.

“I was quite young when I was first posted to Townsville. My circle of friends included a number of nurses who convinced me that donating blood was a great thing to do. I was keen to impress – thus, my donation journey began.

He first donated at the old Townsville hospital in North Ward, and these first donations were all whole blood, meaning it took several years to reach the 50-donation milestone.

“My mother donated blood for most of her life and she was quite proud of the fact that she had donated over 100 times.

Gary Mantell, with nursing assistant Jason Boggs at the Townsville Lifeblood Centre in Garbutt, will reach the milestone of his 500th blood donation in January and is urging people to get behind the current Defence Blood Drive. Picture: Evan Morgan

“In the past, blood donations could only be made once every three months, so it took over 25 years for my mother to reach one hundred donations.

“Plasma donations can be made every fourteen days, so my mother told me I was cheating when I reached the 200 donation milestone.”

Mantell posted out of the Garrison City in the late 80s and wasn’t in a position to donate regularly again until the 1990s.

“But since then, I have religiously donated every fourteen days.”

He goes to the Townsville Lifeblood Centre, now located at Domain Central in Garbutt.

“What’s extraordinary about the Townsville Lifeblood Centre is that it collects more plasma per capita than any other place in the world.”

Mantell has no plans to stop donating once he has hit the magic number of 500 in January.

“I will continue to donate blood until I am medically unable to do so.

“Even though I may have commenced donating blood to appease my friends, I am proud of the fact that, in some small way, I have helped people.

He said Defence employees were provided reasonable time away from duty to donate blood, plasma or platelets.

“I encourage everyone to take a couple of hours out of your schedules to donate today.’

For more information and to make a donation appointment, go to the Defence Blood Drive teams site here.

Originally published as Defence Blood Drive: Townsville veteran nears 500 blood donations, no plans to stop saving lives