Riverina's generosity revealed as latest organ donor stats reveal Lockhart and Murrumbidgee councils among best in state

Four Riverina councils including Lockhart, Murrumbidgee, Federation and Edward River have been singled out for having among the highest proportion of people registered as donors in the state.

Lockhart and Murrumbidgee Shire residents are the most generous in the Riverina, with 58 per cent of eligible people - aged 16 and above - registered to donate organs, according to the latest data from Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).

As DonateLife week kicked off on Sunday, Maxwell farmer and liver transplant recipient Don Kirkpatrick, 63, has recalled the harrowing ordeal he experienced and the life-changing moment he was given a new start.

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"I'd had Hepatitis C for about 35 years and it had destroyed my liver without me knowing it," Mr Kirkpatrick said.

"Then a turning point happened in my life where suddenly all the bells and whistles started going out; the body started to raise the white flag to say there was something really wrong going on.

"That's when I was diagnosed with primary liver cancer.

"I ended up going back and forth from Maxwell to the Prince Alfred [Hospital] in Sydney to see my specialist there."

Mr Kirkpatrick said his illness hit the family pretty hard.

"My wife Leslie did it tougher than anyone else. She carried the weight of everything upon her... trying to keep the family running," he said.

Despite having a "messed-up liver", Mr Kirkpatrick said "the rest of me was essentially in pretty good nick", making a good transplant candidate.

"I went on the organ donor list and I waited. Then just when I didn't have much time left, the phone rang about 10pm one night, so got in the car and my wife drove to Sydney," he said.

Mr Kirkpatrick recalled waking up from the major operation as if he'd been hit by a truck, but despite that, he knew he was better.

"I felt better straight away, because my body was working again," he said.

"The liver is the body's engine and it is responsible for every single thing that goes on in your body."

Residents of the Edward River and Federation local government areas were also singled out for their kindness with 57 per cent of eligible residents already registered to donate.

People in the Wagga LGA also rated among the most generous in the state with 54 per cent on the register.

Heading into DonateLife Week, Mr Kirkpatrick wants to raise awareness about just how important it is to donate.

"I think the discussion around organ donation needs to be very much normalised around the dinner table with children as they are growing up," he said.

"I'm not talking about starting that discussion too early, but certainly as they get into their teenage years - so that they can think about it and grow up informed that organ donation is a special thing.

"It also comes as no surprise to me that rural LGAs like Lockhart and Murrumbidgee have high rates of organ donation, because I think Australians in general are reasonably pragmatic about life and death.

"A lot of people think when a person passes away, maybe some good can come of it - and that's certainly true in my situation because that's what happened when I received my new liver."

Meanwhile, Lockhart resident and kidney transplant recipient Craig Burkinshaw has reflected on what he considers the biggest barrier.

"People don't want to donate if the organ is not going to a relative, and that's not right," Mr Burkinshaw said.

"If people could get past that attitude, the organ donor [rate] would jump even more."

He also wanted to raise awareness that people can live on one kidney and there is a need for them.

"People are on the waiting lists [for kidneys] for over five years," Mr Burkinshaw.

"You can survive on just one kidney, so if you're in your 40s or 50s, put your hand up to donate one."

A total of 54,769 NSW residents registered as organ and tissue donors in 2022, bringing the total number registered to 2,670,875 - about 42 per cent of the state's population above the national average of 36 per cent.

DonateLife Week is Australia's major public awareness campaign to encourage more Australians to register and support organ and tissue donation.

General Manager of the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service Danielle Fisher said this week is the perfect time to consider giving the gift of life by becoming an organ and tissue donor.

"You can make a real difference to the many Australians waiting for an organ or tissue by registering and then telling your family," Ms Fisher said.

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