Melbourne Police Officer Donates Rare Blood at All 85 Australian Lifeblood Centres

Trevor Bergman, a 59-year-old police officer from Melbourne, has donated at every one of Australia's 85 Lifeblood donation centres, ABC News reported on 30 October 2026. His final stop was a plasma donation in Canberra, where Governor-General Sam Mostyn gave blood alongside him.

A rare gift

Bergman is one of roughly 150 Australians known to carry the anti-D antibody. That makes his blood especially valuable: anti-D is used to protect babies from haemolytic disease of the newborn, a condition that can occur when a mother's and baby's blood types are incompatible. According to Lifeblood, around 48,000 pregnant women in Australia receive it each year.

• 545 donations in total, starting at age 18.
• 85 donation centres visited.
• The idea began on a holiday in Perth, around ten years ago, when he realised donating could be a way to see the country.

One memorable stop was Albany in Western Australia, where he was turned away because he was unwell.

"It's very nice to know that in a small way, I've helped the community." — Trevor Bergman

Why it matters

Lifeblood's Aania Tandon said one in three people in Australia will need blood at some point in their lives. Close to 60% of Australian adults are eligible to donate, but only about 3% do.

Context

Blood and plasma supplies recently fell to their lowest level in ten years during a prolonged cold and flu season, prompting an urgent call for donors. Bergman's tour is a reminder of how much depends on regular donors, and anyone curious about donating can check eligibility with Lifeblood.