Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Wednesday, on a stunning Canberra summer's morning, I joined with over 5,500 Canberrans to take part in the Gift of Life's DonateLife walk. There were students from St Clare's College, students from Merici College and students from Marist College, as well as lots of people with dogs and people from a range of government agencies. As always, Canberrans turned out in full force to support this walk, which raises awareness of organ and tissue donation and of the need to have the conversation with your family.

If you want to donate life, if you want to donate your organs and tissues, then please have the conversation with your family. It is vitally important.

This year we celebrated our 10th walk and, as a former member of the Gift of Life board, I remember spending many an evening and many a weekend wandering round and round tables stuffing show bags, getting drink bottles, collecting T-shirts, and basically running around like a chook with my head off, preparing for those walks over the years. I remember the walk started very modestly in its first year, and it has gone from strength to strength thanks to the commitment of Canberrans young and old, and of the canine variety, to organ and tissue donation and to raising awareness of this vitally important need to donate life.