DonateLife Week runs from July 31 to August 7.

“While the majority of Australians support organ and tissue donation, only one in three Australians have actually joined the national Register,” Rob Russell, president of Rotary Nowra said.

“Registering on the Australian Organ Donor Register is important because it leaves your family in no doubt of your decision to save lives as an organ and tissue donor.”

Nine in ten families agree to donation proceeding where their loved one was a registered donor, compared to 52 per cent where the deceased was not a registered donor and the family had no prior knowledge of their wishes.

“More than 1,500 Australians are waiting for a life-saving transplant,” Rob said.

“During DonateLife Week, we’re asking people in our community, ‘what are you waiting for?’ 

To optimise every potential organ and tissue donation, we need every Australian family to decide and register online on the Australian Organ Donor Register, and to discuss and know each other’s donation decisions.

The face of the national Rotary campaign in 2016 is Rotarian Steve Gribbin, a husband and dad aged 51. 

Steve was a technical officer at Tamworth Regional Council NSW until medically retired in June 2013.

Steve's liver was badly damaged by exposure to hepatitis C, he suspects from a tattoo and he was on the liver transplant waiting list from January 2015 for almost 12 months.

"I felt hopeless and useless and longed to be a contributing member of society again. Life was a matter of day to day survival for me,” Steve said.

“The amazingly generous donation of a liver has changed my life and that of my family.”

DonateLife Week is Australia’s national awareness week to promote organ and tissue donation and is led by the Organ and Tissue Authority. 

Join the Australian Organ Donor Register online today at donatelife.gov.au.