DonateLife Network updates

Year-to-date data

Up to the end of May 2025, there were:  

• 223 deceased donors for January to May, a 2% increase on the same period in 2024 (218)  
• 580 transplant recipients for January to May, 5% higher compared with the same period in 2024 (550).  

The DonateLife audit data to the end of May 2025 shows a national consent rate of 53%, which is unchanged from 2024. Other key metrics include:   

• 91% overall referral rate, up from 89% in 2024
• 86% of staff raised discussions involved a Donation Specialist Nurse, down from 87% during the same period in 2024. 

DonateLife Week 2025 

Save the date for DonateLife Week 2025

We want all Australians to have a conversation about organ and tissue donation this DonateLife Week, which runs from Sunday 27 July to 3 Sunday 3 August. 

Leading up to DonateLife Week, we’re busy activating our passionate supporters and advocates in the community to help build momentum. If you know someone who’s keen to get involved, let them know: 

• The DonateLife Week supporter hub is now live with downloadable resources, information about volunteering and creating events, and instructions on how to ask cafés to add QR code stickers to their coffee cups.
• Landmarks across the country will light up for DonateLife Week, and we’d love for people to share their photos and tag us on our social channels.  

Our award-winning partnership video 

In some exciting news, a video that was created as part of our official partnership with News Corp Australia has been awarded silver in 2 categories of the international Native Advertising Awards 2025. 

The video, featuring White Island volcano survivor and tissue recipient Stephanie Browitt, received silver in the Content and Creativity section, for Best Use of Video, and Best Influencer Partnership. 

You can view the video on the DonateLife Facebook page, and see the full list of winners in the Native Advertising Awards 2025.  

A screenshot of Stephanie Browitt’s tissue donation video, filmed in collaboration with News Corp and DonateLife.

Janette Hall Scholarship opening for applications soon 

The Janette Hall Professional Training and Development Scholarship Program is provided in memory of Janette Hall, a donation specialist nurse who became an organ and tissue donor in 2010. The Scholarship was established to support the professional development of staff working within the DonateLife Network.  

The next Scholarship round will open for submissions in August 2025. 

Applicants are encouraged to apply with an activity that will increase their knowledge, skills, and abilities in organ donation, with a clear relevance to the Organ and Tissue Authority Strategy 2022-2027. 

Suitable applicants are nurses and allied health professionals (or other relevant professionals) who are currently working as part of the DonateLife Network. 

Applicants may apply for funding for a domestic or international activity, including conferences, training courses, workshops, and study tours. 

The Scholarship round held in February 2025 was very successful. Five recipients were awarded funding for activities, including higher education and attendance at domestic and international conferences. These activities will greatly benefit the individuals, as well as the DonateLife Network and the national DonateLife program. 

The Scholarship guideline for applicants and other relevant documents are available on the DonateLife learning site. 

If you have any questions, please contact the OTA education team at education@donatelife.gov.au 

National Health and Medical Research Council ethical guidelines  

Earlier in May, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), along with the OTA, announced the release of the Ethical guidelines for cell, tissue and organ donation and transplantation in Australia.  

The ethical principles in the guidelines align with community expectations that altruistic donations of human cells, tissues and organs are treated respectfully, shared equitably, and used effectively for the benefit of all. They are consistent with established ethical and legal norms governing healthcare practice in Australia, and with respect for human rights and the rights of all individuals as patients receiving healthcare. 

The guidelines are designed to be used in a range of ways according to the needs and preferences of individuals. Some may choose to read the entire text. Others may prefer to read separate chapters to deepen their understanding of aspects of ethical practice in donation and transplantation, or specific issues. These guidelines do not exhaust the ethical discussion of donation and transplantation. 

Situations may arise where guidance in the guidelines may be limited, or where its application may be uncertain. Other guidelines, codes of practice, and legislation cited in these guidelines should also be used to help clarify the obligations of health professionals and organisations in particular contexts. 

Clinical webinar: Honouring our donors’ wishes    

Thanks to those who attended the recent clinical webinar, ‘Honouring our donors’ wishes’. The webinar was expertly planned by DonateLife NSW, and it was great to hear from expert and passionate clinicians about their efforts to improve outcomes for patients and their families. 

For those who are interested, you can view the webinar on YouTube or on the DonateLife learning site under ‘Network resources – other resources’. 

2025 Donation and Transplantation Conference and Community Forum highlights 

Feedback from ACT staff on the conference and forum was overwhelmingly positive, with many staff members describing it as a valuable and enriching experience. Each person walked away with their own unique insights, but a highlight for many was the powerful presence of international guest speakers and the heartfelt vulnerability shared during the ‘workforce and wellbeing’ session. 

Members of DonateLife ACT at the 2025 Donation and Transplantation Conference.

The team were especially proud to witness sisters Hannah Hansell and Georgia Bartlett’s inspiring participation in the ‘Engaging Our Next Generation’ session at the Community Forum. Their contribution demonstrated the profound impact of storytelling, reinforcing the importance of creating space for both donor families and transplant recipients in the ACT to share their journeys. 

DonateLife staff Nadia and Wendy (left and right) with transplant recipient Clem at the Community Forum.

Vale Marguerite Wiseman

DonateLife ACT deeply mourns the loss of our cherished volunteer Marguerite Wiseman, who passed away in late April.

Marguerite and her husband Laurie were tireless advocates for organ and tissue donation. They were driven by the personal loss of their son – who after passing, helped save and improve the lives of 7 people – and a passion for helping others.

Whether travelling, shucking oysters, or running awareness stalls across Canberra, Marguerite brought warmth, energy, and optimism to everything she did. She will be greatly missed. Our heartfelt condolences go to Laurie and the Wiseman family. 

 

Marguerite and Laurie Wiseman getting involved with Jersey Day.

Community engagement

Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y) program presentations continued during school terms. The program gives school students information to help prevent alcohol and risk-related trauma. It is also an excellent opportunity to raise awareness, encourage family conversations and increase donor registrations with young people. We used newly developed resources for schools, including a group presentation and chatterboxes, which were well received.

For International Women’s Day, we attended the HerZest Speed Networking event with local women leaders in our community. It was a fun and interactive evening. We continue to build relations with this group and look forward to an upcoming networking luncheon.

The ACT team also attended the inaugural Health and Wellbeing Day at Hawker College, presented to the University of the Third Age (U3A) to over 120 people and presented at the Bungendore Evening VIEW Club in an intimate setting, with fabulous engagement.

2025 Donation and Transplantation Conference and Community Forum highlights

Clinical Nurse Manager Leigh Hill gave a presentation at the conference around ‘Cultural considerations in the donation process’. Leigh spoke of challenges posed by the vast distances people must travel to reach the Royal Darwin Hospital and the many cultural considerations the Top End nursing team make. He also mentioned how distinct the conversations are with large, loving, invested and interconnected First Nations families compared to their western counterparts. Leigh’s talk was very well received and was referenced by other presenters over the course of the conference. 

Clinical Nurse Manager Leigh Hill presenting ‘Cultural Considerations in the Donation Process’ at the 2025 Donation and Transplantation Conference.

The DonateLife NT team was proud to hear kidney recipient Selina Bob – a patient preceptor at Purple House Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service – on a panel at the Community Forum. Supported by renal nurse and Purple House manager Heather Hall, Selina shared her enthusiasm for talking about kidney health, donation and transplantation in her community – something she is well equipped to do, given that she speaks 7 languages! 

Purple House preceptor Selina Bob speaking on the Equity and Access Panel at the Community Forum with Renal Nurse and Purple House Manager Heather Hall.

Preparation for DonateLife Week 2025

Our team are gearing up for an excellent DonateLife Week in the Northern Territory by arranging various events, lighting up key locations, and reaching as many people as possible through various media channels.

In particular, there are some exciting upcoming events our team are hosting, including a fundraiser for Purple House at the popular Deckchair Cinema. Purple House provide care and support for all people, but particularly First Nations people in the territory who are navigating their kidney journey, through dialysis and on to a kidney transplant.

The funds raised will go towards audio and visual equipment to help get remote communities connected so that they can receive support from the Purple House team, as well as blankets and other essential items.

Perioperative workshop

Our second annual perioperative workshop was held on Saturday 10 May. A collaborative effort between DonateLife NT and Royal Darwin Hospital theatre educators, it was a successful and enjoyable day. The morning covered theory, and in the afternoon, participants rotated through 2 theatre simulations that covered both pathways to organ retrieval.

Due to the infrequency of retrieval surgery in the Northern Territory, the inclusion of workshop simulations provides a great opportunity for intradisciplinary learning. Participants included donation specialist nursing coordinators, theatre nurses and anaesthetic nurses. Participant evaluation was positive and affirmed the workshop met learning needs.

COMPASS Community Day

On Tuesday 13 May, the team attended the COMPASS event at the Nightcliff Uniting Church in Darwin. The COMPASS project has been conducted by the National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Taskforce (NIKTT), and has been led by NIKTT Community Engagement Coordinator Kelli Owen. COMPASS is short for ‘Connecting Our Mob: Patient navigators As Sustainable Supports’.

The event was arranged to share invaluable videos produced by the COMPASS team in response to their research findings. The findings highlighted a need for accessible educational resources for First Nations people who might be working towards a kidney transplant. The friendly and relaxed event allowed for attendees to network and discuss the challenges faced by patients and staff who are working to improve outcomes for First Nations people with kidney disease. 

The DonateLife NT team attending the COMPASS Community Day.

Street Smart High  

The annual Street Smart High program brings hundreds of teenagers from various schools across the Northern Territory on a journey that explores the dangers of reckless choices. The program features an immersive story, including a vehicle crash scene.

This year, Northern Territory State Medical Director (SMD) Dr Paul Goldrick spoke at the event. He educated attendees about organ donation and the importance of registering their choices – something many of them are able to do, having just turned 16 years old. A DonateLife stall was held in the foyer after the event, and due to the number of students, 2 people were required to manage the stall – which proved to be very popular – with many students competing in the DonateLife quiz to win merchandise prizes. 

Administration and Project Support Officer Alayne Amanatidis and Communications and Community Engagement Officer Megan Newman managing the stall at the 2025 Street Smart High event.

2025 Donation and Transplantation Conference and Community Forum highlights

It was wonderful to have 2 of our volunteers take part in panels at the DonateLife Community Forum. Karina Goldsworthy, mother to a young donor on the Sunshine Coast, joined the ‘Power of Storytelling’ panel. She shared details of her advocacy work including climbing to Mt Everest base camp, flying DonateLife flags behind her. Robert Parr, liver recipient from Bundaberg, joined the ‘Equity and Access’ panel, sharing the challenges of rural and remote patients and telling his story through poetry. 

Karina Goldsworthy at the DonateLife Community Forum.	Robert Parr speaking at the DonateLife Community Forum.

Three Donation Specialists Nurses presented papers at the conference. Jo Reoch from Rockhampton Hospital shared Queensland’s initiative for regional donation nurses to retrieve eye tissue outside of the metropolitan area. Donation Specialist Coordinator Nicole Bulley delivered a case study on first-person consent, and Education Coordinator Bianca Topp spoke about new strategies through web coaching. Congratulations to Nicole and Bianca, who both received honourable mentions for their sessions.

Preparation for DonateLife Week 2025

DonateLife QLD will have a range of events and activities across the state for DonateLife Week. In Brisbane, a celebration of the liver transplant team’s 40-year anniversary will be held on the Wednesday of DonateLife Week (30 July). The Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Mackay will generate buzz in their local community with radio broadcasts, and all hospital and health services will be lighting up their council buildings and local facilities in magenta. They’ll be encouraging supporters to approach local cafés with posters and stickers, hold information stalls in their hospital foyers and be guest speakers in workplaces and community clubs.

Community engagement

Eye and tissue donor families and recipients spoke at the National Eye and Tissue Conference, held in Brisbane on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 March. The community panel was chaired by corneal recipient and retired firefighter Wayne. It was inspiring to hear their stories! 

Eye and tissue donor families and recipients at the Queensland Eye and Tissue Conference in Brisbane.	Mum Melissa with son Oscar, who is a corneal recipient, alongside fellow corneal recipient and retired firefighter Wayne.

Experienced guest speaker and heart recipient Colin shared his remarkable story of receiving a transplant at age 60 with the Maroochydore Men’s Shed. There were around 60 attendees, and Col also met a fellow heart recipient, Glen.  

Heart recipient Colin at the Maroochydore Men’s Shed with Kong the Gorilla, who represents his heart transplant.

Colin and his wife Cheryl, young heart recipient Tom with his mum and sister, and Communications Officer Jamie attended the Woodford Emergency Services Expo, helping people to register as organ and tissue donors. They also met a donor dad and a young liver recipient who were honoured to share their story. 

Audrey (Tom’s sister), Tom (heart recipient), Cheryl (Colin’s wife), Colin (heart recipient), Jamie (DonateLife QLD Communications Officer).	Colin speaking with Australian Army officers.

Principal Communications Advisor Shelley attended a combined Easter and Vishu event with the Malayali Association of Brisbane. Vishu is a major Hindu festival marking the Malayalam New Year. It was a great opportunity to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation among our multicultural communities. 

Myles (Shelley’s husband) and Shelley (Principal Communications Advisor) with a young couple from the Malayali Association.

Over 100 people supported the new pickleball charity event ‘Paddle for Life’, held at Yeppoon. The event was organised for best mates Mick and Paul – Paul donated his kidney to Mick after he was diagnosed with kidney disease in his 40s. 

DonateLife supporters and Yeppoon locals trying their hand at pickleball.	Kidney recipient Mick with Rockhampton Hospital’s Donation Specialist Nurse Coordinator Jo.

Yassou! That’s Greek for ‘hello’. Freya and Kate from DonateLife attended the annual Paniyiri Greek Festival in Brisbane, alongside ICU and surgical colleagues, who volunteered for the day. They interacted with hundreds of attendees, meeting donor families and recipients who shared their stories. 

Freya and Kate attended the annual Paniyiri Greek Festival in Brisbane.

Kirsty and Shona, the Sunshine Coast University Hospital Donation Specialist Nurses recently met with the Sunshine Coast Highway Patrol unit. They thanked officers for their assistance in transporting donated organs to hospitals for life-saving surgeries.

Due to the time critical nature of organ donation, police can be called on to escort or transport specialist medical teams and organs for transplant as quickly and safely as possible to an airport or major hospital transplant unit. 

Senior Sergeant Shane Panoho and Acting Superintendent Chris Toohey with a certificate of thanks from Kirsty and Shona.	Officers from the Queensland Police’s Sunshine Coast district – the Sunshine Coast Highway Patrol team.

2025 Donation and Transplantation Conference and Community Forum highlights

DonateLife SA is so proud to have been represented by so many amazing South Australians at the conference and Community Forum. We extend our gratitude to Amanda Stewart (DonateLife SA Clinical Manager), Georgie Irish (Transplant Nephrologist, SA Health), Oren Klemich (OTA Advisory Board member and donor family), Kelli Owen (OTA Advisory Board), Shelley Brown (donor family) and Heather Makris (transplant recipient) for continuing to support DonateLife SA by speaking at the conference and Community Forum.    

A huge thank you goes to OTA and DonateLife for organising this incredibly successful and well received event. 

Heather Makris speaking at the DonateLife Community Forum.	Shelley Brown speaking on the ‘Equity and access‘ panel at the DonateLife Community Forum.
Oren Klemich speaks to attendees at the Community Engagement Group breakfast ahead of the DonateLife Community Forum.	Kelli Owen speaks as part of the ‘Equity and access’ panel at the DonateLife Community Forum.

Preparation for DonateLife Week 2025

Planning is now well underway with a broad range of approaches being considered. Together with the café activation and light ups, DonateLife SA is also running a walk featuring guest speakers and stalls on Sunday 27 July; the DonateLife SA Educational Symposium on Thursday 31 July at South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI); and partnering with the University of Adelaide to deliver the Mid-winter BBQ on Wednesday 30 July. This will feature guest speakers with lived experience, a student quiz and other engaging activities that will further educate students about organ and tissue donation.

Community engagement

DonateLife SA is now in the final stages of preparing to launch our volunteer program. This includes developing the Better Impact app to help manage volunteers, tailoring documents prepared by the DonateLife Communications Team (DLC) volunteer project group and preparing a communication strategy. We have invited a few highly engaged volunteers to test the platform and hope to launch in the next month, pending their valued feedback.  

Meanwhile:

• volunteer Glenys spoke at a Norwood Council Heritage Week event  
• volunteer Dimitri flew to Melbourne to speak to members of the Greek community at the first of PRONIA’s community events being delivered as part of their 2025 DonateLife community awareness grant
• volunteer Sharron spoke at Norwood International Highschool for 2 different school groups and tested the new in-schools PowerPoint presentation that has been developed by the DLC schools project group.  

2025 Donation and Transplantation Conference and Community Forum highlights

Tasmania was grateful to have the opportunity to attend the conference in Melbourne with 10 representatives of our medical and nursing team. Our team contributed with the delivery of 3 posters, including collaboration with clinical champions to improve donation outcomes, referral practice to explore referral themes to bridge the gap in practice, and a case review exploring complex medical suitability. 

A team of 10 nursing and medical DonateLife team members from Tasmania attended the Conference in Melbourne.

DonateLife TAS was proud to have Damien Green, who is the father of a donor, as a panel speaker representing Tasmania at the Community Forum. Damien shared his donor family journey on the ‘Power of storytelling’ panel and spoke about the ongoing advocacy and promotion he coordinates to raise awareness in the community.

We were pleased to have 4 enthusiastic clinical champion representatives from Royal Hobart Hospital attending the day. 

Tasmanian attendees at the Community Forum included Cat, Verity and Davin and 4 clinical champions from the Royal Hobart Hospital theatre team: Michelle, Zorana, Susan and Caroline.	Damien and Hayley Green joined DonateLife team members Cat, Verity and Davin with OTA CEO Lucinda Barry AM after the conclusion of the Community Forum. Damien was a donor family panel spokesperson who shared his journey about the power of storytelling.

Preparation for DonateLife Week 2025

Planning has commenced for DonateLife Week 2025. Confirmed monument illuminations include the Tasman Bridge and Wrest Point Casino tower in Hobart, and Town Hall in Launceston.

We’ve started planning the ‘register in 2 sips’ cafe activation, hoping to gain the support of 100 cafes statewide – from Dover in the far south, to Smithton in the far northwest, and right across the north of the state to Scottsdale in the northeast.

Identification of new case studies for media engagement has begun, and we’re scoping the options available for advertising on billboards, buses and CBD banners across the state.

We’ll be activating our usual hospital and health promotion partners and stakeholders statewide and have a key activation proposal underway to wrap up the week on Sunday 3 August, with a multi-team climb of the Wrest Point Casino. This will include teams of first responders and hospital colleagues, with an ambitious target to climb 100 flights of the tower stairs.

Agfest 2025  

Over the first 3 days of May, the team exhibited at Agfest, Tasmania’s largest agricultural-themed outdoor event.

About 55,000 visitors attended over these 3 days, creating a great opportunity to increase our brand awareness and encourage registrations.

We experienced lovely crisp autumnal weather with clear sunny skies, and slowly peeled off our layers as each day warmed up.

We spoke to hundreds of people each day who were interested to hear about organ and tissue donation and join the Australian Organ Donor Register.

The event was a great opportunity for our communications duo to walk the talk, and for Donation Specialist Nurse Coordinators to share their clinical experience and expertise with the broader community. 

Davin and Cat from DonateLife Tasmania, joined by Agfest visitors who registered on the AODR.

Office relocation

The DonateLife TAS team in Hobart relocated to a new office space in the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) on 14 April 2025.

This ended our tenancy in the offices we had occupied since DonateLife TAS was first established almost 15 years ago, in early 2010.

Our new offices are more central to clinical spaces at RHH. You can reach us at:

• Office street address: Royal Hobart Hospital, Level 4 E block
• Postal address: DonateLife Tasmania, GPO Box 1061, Hobart TAS 7001
• New landline for general enquiries: (03) 6166 8858
• Clinical on-call number (unchanged): (03) 6166 8308
• General email (unchanged): donatelife.tasmania@ths.tas.gov.au   

DonateLife Victoria 2024 year in review

In May, DonateLife Victoria released their year in review report. It tells the story of donation and transplantation in Victoria in 2024.

Victoria had 162 organ donors in 2024, a 14% increase from 142 donors in 2023. Thanks to the generosity of these 162 Victorian organ donors and their families, 358 Australians received a life-saving organ transplant in 2024.  

Almost a third of organ donors in Australia last year became donors at Victorian hospitals. This is a testament to the processes embedded in our hospitals and the dedication of our expert healthcare workers.

None of what we do is possible without the dedication and commitment of our donation specialist staff, our agency team, and all our colleagues in ICUs and Emergency Departments across the state who continue to prioritise donation.

Preparation for DonateLife Week 2025 

DonateLife Victoria’s key activity for DonateLife Week this year will be a 2-week photographic exhibition by photojournalist and liver and kidney recipient, Andrew Chapman OAM. The exhibition comprises a series of poignant black and white photographs of one married couple’s kidney donation and transplantation surgery at Monash Medical Centre in 2024.

• Exhibition dates: Sunday 20 July – Sunday 3 August 2025
• Exhibition launch:  2-4 pm Sunday 20 July
• Location: Magnet Galleries Melbourne, The District Docklands.

Mel Short awarded the 2025 Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Nursing Development Scholarship

On Thursday 15 May, Mel Short, Donation Specialist Nurse at Monash Health and Royal Children’s Hospital, was awarded the prestigious 2025 Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Nursing Development Scholarship, which includes a $50k grant.

Mel’s project aims to address the underutilisation of small kidneys in Australia. By improving referral, allocation, and acceptance pathways, the project aims to increase donation and transplantation opportunities for children. This will ultimately enhance equity in paediatric healthcare while supporting grieving families on a national scale.

Congratulations on this amazing achievement, Mel! We look forward to sharing updates with the network on your project and upcoming international study tour. 

Media

Liver recipient Nikki Liebman will cycle the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail to honour her donor and their family. This story ran on Tuesday 22 April, in the Mountain Views Mail, the Lilydale Star Mail, and Mt Evelyn Star Mail.  

Donation Specialist Nurse Jerome Hamoline spoke with JOY FM’s Well Well Well program on Thursday 10 April about organ and tissue donation for LGBTIQ+ communities and people living with HIV. 

2025 Donation and Transplantation Conference and Community Forum highlights

Representatives and attendees from DonateLife WA included Agency Manager Laura Sweeney, State Medical Director David Blythe, Donation Specialist Coordinators Mary Lynch and Malin Holmer, along with Clinical Nurse Specialist Linda Thomas. They were also joined by liver transplant surgeon Dr Adam Philipoff.

Mary co-presented ‘New development strategies for DonateLife nursing staff through web coaching’ with Bianca Topp from DonateLife QLD. Bianca and Mary’s presentation received an honourable mention from OTA CEO Lucinda Barry AM at the conference awards.  

Liver transplant surgeon Dr Arul Suthananthan also delivered a virtual presentation on machine perfusion and normothermic regional perfusion – UK comparison. 

Preparation for DonateLife Week 2025

DonateLife Week is shaping up brilliantly in WA, with planning in full swing. After the big success of last year’s session, we’re excited to once again host our ‘Writing to your donor’ workshop on Saturday 26 July, in partnership with Transplant WA.

Adding colour to the week, WA will light up magenta with illuminations and connect through the café activation, encouraging powerful conversations in everyday spaces.

Our key event, the Gift of Life Walk, returns on Sunday 27 July. It will feature guest speakers, stalls, family friendly activities, morning tea and a few furry friends. 

We welcomed Amy De Costa to the Communications and Engagement team at the end of May. Amy will be backfilling the role of Marketing and Digital Coordinator for the next 12 months, stepping into Jasmine Griffiths’ shoes while she is on a year’s leave in Sweden. We hope Jas has an amazing time and we can’t wait to hear all about her Scandinavian adventures!

The team also sadly farewells Sarah Hollingsworth from the role of Communications Officer at the end of June, as her contract with the OTA comes to an end. Every DonateLife Network Update from the last 18 months was the result of Sarah’s editing wizardry! We wish Sarah all the best for the future and hope she has an amazing time in Greece, where she plans to unwind after all her hard work.

Clinical programs welcomed Josephine Reoch to the team, who will be working as a Web Coach alongside Bianca Topp and Mary Lynch. Jo has been working as a donation specialist nurse coordinator at Rockhampton Hospital for 16 years. She has facilitated family donation conversation practical workshops for the last few years and has worked in all facets of Intensive Care nursing over her 30-plus year career. Jo will be working 2 days a week with us, and we’re thrilled to have her join the team.   

ACT

We officially farewelled Donation Specialist Nurse Coordinator Ahalya Krishinan, who has offered to remain on-call should we find ourselves short-staffed. In the meantime, she has taken on a new role as manager at one of the local walk-in centres. Congratulations, Ahalya.  

We also extend our congratulations to Donation Specialist Nurse Coordinator’s Siobhan Jolly and JC Chatelin for completing their non-medical enucleator training, and a big thank you to the wonderful team at the NSW Tissue Bank for their support.

JC shared his thoughts on this, saying, ‘I feel truly honoured to be involved in the entire eye tissue donation process, supporting patients and their families in fulfilling their final wishes with compassion and care.’ 

NSW

We’re pleased to welcome 2 new donation specialist coordinators on contract to the DonateLife NSW team.

Kelly Chan joins us from St George Hospital’s ICU and Emergency Department and the Deteriorating Patient Program. She has worked across all 7 continents and brings a broad range of critical care experience.

Charlotte Ameghino brings experience from ICUs across NSW and was most recently a Clinical Nurse Educator at The Wollongong Hospital. Outside of work, Charlotte is a qualified dance teacher and enjoys yoga, pottery, and sewing.  

We look forward to their contributions to the NSW donation program in the months ahead. 

NT

The DonateLife NT team is pleased to welcome Donation Specialist Nurse Brooke Eppelstun back from maternity leave. Brooke, her partner Charlie and little Luca welcomed beautiful baby Charlotte in June 2024. After spending some quality time with her little ones, Brooke is now back in the office part-time, coordinating donation and supporting families in her role as Family Support Coordinator.

The team recently said farewell to Donation Specialist Nurse Leiana (Lani) Hewett, who has moved into a new position in Clinical Excellence. We wish her all the very best in her new role. 

QLD

We recently farewelled Donation Specialist Nurse Coordinator Ian Rogers from Hervey Bay Hospital, after 22 years of service. He was dedicated to delivering the best care for donors and their families, was an integral part of our team and is well loved in the Hervey Bay community and the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service.

Ian was a finalist for the Wide Bay Hospital Board Values Ambassador Award in 2023, while marking 25 years of service. In 2024, Ian received the Fraser Coast Australia Day Award and was nominated for the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses’ ‘Top 20 Guiding Light Nurses’ award. Ian is going on long service leave, leading up to his retirement. 

DonateLife QLD Agency Manager Tina (left) and Assistant Director of Nursing Angela (right) with Ian Rogers.

Donation Specialist Nurse Coordinator Mark Singzon will be making a move from his role at Townsville University Hospital to the Queensland Tissue Bank in Brisbane. Mark has been with DonateLife for 3 years, during which he performed at the Brisbane Service of Remembrance – dedicating the song ‘You raise me up’ to donors and their families – and led the DonateLife team at the Townsville Running Festival. 

Mark (right) at the Townsville Running Festival.

Bryannii Perks, an experienced ICU Nurse at Townsville Hospital, will be stepping into Mark’s DonateLife role. She joins her job-share partner Meagan Baldwin.

Sara Willmore, a paediatric ICU nurse at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, is on secondment with DonateLife QLD while Donation Specialist Nurse Shontelle Thomas is on long service leave for 4 months. Sara was previously a Donation Specialist Nurse more than a decade ago

Donation Specialist Coordinator Aine Coutinho joins our team at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. She was a Donation Specialist Nurse in the UK. Since moving to Australia, she has also worked in ICU, operating theatre and anaesthetics. 

SA

We continue to be busy at DonateLife SA with some exciting new appointments to be announced in the next DonateLife Network Update! Still, plenty to share this quarter, as in the past 3 months we have had a few staff leave to explore new careers.  

Administration Manager Deborah Clothier has taken a secondment within SA Health for a period of 5 months. We understand the value of new experiences and we wish her all the best, knowing this is good for all of us, but we honestly can’t wait until we get to work with her again in October!

Thankfully, we have been able to welcome the wonderful Elsie Ryan and Sammy Byrt to cover her role as Administration Manager for this period. Elsie comes to us with a wealth of knowledge, having worked within multiple SA Health departments and has absolutely hit the ground running. She joins us after returning from maternity leave and works Monday, Tuesday and Fridays and is particularly experienced in HR. We are so lucky she is able to apply her expertise as our team continues to grow. Sammy currently works with Critical Care and Perioperative Services and has kindly agreed to work for DonateLife SA on Thursdays. Sammy has a strong interest in event management and fashion design, as well as being another master administrator. We are so grateful to both Elsie and Sammy for their enthusiasm, calm and steadfast support.  

The Communications and Community Engagement team has also seen some changes. Jennifer Uebergang has formally resigned after a period of unpaid leave. We wish her all the best as she continues to take time to care for her family. Adrian Renzi left DonateLife SA in the first week of May. We are happy to share that he has bravely undertaken a career change and quickly found employment that suits him well, being much closer to home. We wish both Jen and Adrian all the best in their future endeavours. 

TAS

DonateLife TAS welcomed new team member Cat Delpero in mid-March, taking on the role of Communications and Community Engagement Officer. Cat joins our team with a wealth of experience in communications roles, which will be invaluable to support the growth of community and stakeholder engagement in Tasmania. 

We will sadly say farewell to Medical Donation Specialist Matt Spotswood shortly, who will be leaving our team in July to pursue other professional opportunities. It has been a privilege to work with Matt and we thank him for his contribution to our team and organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Tasmania. 

VIC

On Monday 12 May we welcomed 4 Donation Specialist Nurses to the DonateLife Victoria team. Chelsea Harris and Jennifer Plummer joined the team at Monash Health, Arryn Garven joined the team at Eastern Health, and Maeve Hamilton joined the team at Peninsula Health.  

In the past few months, we’ve also welcomed 2 new Medical Donation Specialists to the team: Dr Justin Rheese and Dr David Antognini, who are both based at Monash Health.

We were sad to say goodbye to Meaghan Bruns, who resigned from her Donation Specialist Nurse role in April. We’re grateful for her contribution to DonateLife Victoria, Western Health and Barwon Health over the last 6 years.  

We also said farewell to Jane Howell, Donation Specialist Nurse at Albury Wodonga Health, in March. We're grateful to Jane for her contribution during her time with us.

Lastly, Nerissa Collie went on maternity leave at the end of May. We’re looking forward to news of the arrival of her daughter and will be welcoming her back to the team in the first half of 2026.  

WA

We’re excited to welcome new and returning members to DonateLife WA. Zoe Carr joined the team as Communications Officer on a 6-month contract, while Melissa Smith returns as Clinical Nurse Manager after some extended leave.

Donation Specialist Coordinator Hannah Wilkinson has headed off on maternity leave. We wish her all the best in this new exciting chapter of motherhood. We farewell Sally Klifunis, Administrative Officer and Acting Communications Officer, as she has taken a secondment within the Department of Health for a period of 3 months.

We are currently recruiting to backfill the Administrative Officer position. 

• March 2025
• September 2024
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