A YENDA high school teacher has called on the Red Cross to release the figures relied on to justify the closure of Griffith's blood donor centre.
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A regular donor for the past 30 years, John Millis has found it difficult to make an appointment to give plasma, which he claims is evidence the service is regularly busy.
Mr Millis was flanked by his two youngest children on Monday while he gave blood for the last time at Griffith's blood donor centre.
"It's difficult to get in here to give plasma more than once a month, which flies in the face of what they're saying about the donations rates dropping," he said.
"The community would benefit from seeing the actual hard numbers that influenced the Red Cross' decision, not just the back of the envelope percentage figures.
"For someone in Melbourne to race up here and shut it down over night, it makes it seem as if they're treating us like a bunch of hicks.
"After promising a new donor centre and then shutting down straight away, it beggars belief that an organisation that prides itself on helping people can treat the staff, community and donors like that."
The family man was sad his children couldn't carry the torch to become the next generation of blood donors.
"Sophie and David are a little while off donating because they are too young, but watching me come here to donate offers them perspective about helping the community," he said.
"My two older children are 18 and 20 years old, and they have just recently become donors. They are really disappointed.
"I was hoping that among them all they would become the next generation of blood donors to give back, but they won't have that chance."