YOU know you’ve made it when they name a cafe after you.

For the past 50 years, Suzi has been working for Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, mostly at their Fremantle blood donor centre.

She’s the first person in Australia to work for the not-for-profit for half a century, and to celebrate this epic milestone they recently renamed the Freo Centre canteen “Suzi’s Cafe” and held a party in her honour.

There was a great turnout at her 50th including long-term donors she’s got to know over the years and her family who made the long drive down from Northampton.

• Suzi (above) has broke a national record by working at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood for more than 50 years.

It’s just rewards for a career that started way back in 1974, when people were still wearing tan bellbottoms and listening to The Bay City Rollers.

“I somehow just fell into this job due to our director of nursing at the time being a family friend. I was returning to Perth after living in Victoria for a short time and commenced as a nurse,” Suzi says.

“When I started here there was just Fremantle and the Perth clinics with a mobile unit, which I moved around on for a bit, but most of my time has been at Fremantle.

“I have worked in many roles over the years, from being a session leader to a trainer.”

Over the past five decades Suzi has seen it all, including an emergency global callout to find a rare blood product.

“One of our donors was badly burnt and need to have blood products. Unfortunately he had a very rare phento type and we did have blood frozen for his use, but he used it all,” she says.

“A call was put out world wide and we managed to receive products from the UK and America. Thankfully, he is still living a very happy normal life.”

After blood is donated its usually separated into red blood cells, plasma and platelets which can be used to treat a variety of conditions including cancer and blood diseases, anaemia, and stomach and kidney conditions. They are also used in non-orthopaedic surgeries. 

A division of the Australian Red Cross Society, Lifeblood has been providing blood donation services for more than 90 years and also do organ matching and tissue typing, facilitate stem cell donation, and provide breast milk donations for clinical trials.

Suzi says the most rewarding part of her job has been meeting the donors and getting to know them.

“I have become very good friends with donors on the outside, being able to have a coffee or lunch with them,” she says.

“It’s very important that we have the donors as without them we would not have the blood products or other components to make the anti-D tetanus and other important products.”

Dedicated service aside, the Chook can’t let Suzi off the hook for being an Eagles fan while working in Fremantle for half a century.

“Yes, I do get needle from some of the fans – lots of banter I have to say – and from a few of the ex-players as well!” she laughs.

To find out how to donate blood at the Lifeblood Fremantle Donor Centre (47 Douro Road, South Fremantle) see lifeblood.com.au.