Herd of Hope charity cattle drive musters support

SUPPORT is growing for the Herd of Hope.

The organ donation and transplant charity is bringing the bush to Sydney, with an spectacular event scheduled for March 17, 2018.

A city location has been selected for the cattle drive, with details all but finalised and the location will be announced in The Land newspaper on Thursday December 14.

Event co-organiser and organ recipient Megan McLoughlin said the community's response had been "extraordinary".

"It's times like this when you realise Australia really does ride on agriculture's back.

"People of great diversity are coming together to support us, they're leading by example and showing us mateship is alive and well in Australia."

"Literally everyday we get someone new coming to us offering to help out."

Megan promised a great day out in Sydney on March 17.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. You'll experience the AUstralian spirit and get to see what our country is all about," she said.

"It's not just about putting cattle in an unfamiliar location, it's about people coming together to help each other out."

Significant strides have been made to increase donation rates, with a doubling in the number of deceased donors since 2009, and the number of transplant recipients has risen by 81 per cent.

But Australia still sits at a lowly 22 in national rankings of organ donation rates one of the lowest for a first world country.

It is sobering fact, given regional residents can be thousands of kilometres from expert care.

Of the 74,000 deaths that occurred in 2015, 920 resulted in organ transplants. Sick people in the bush awaiting transplants may be driven to relocate to major cities, to be at hand at major hospitals when organs become available.

Commercial partners have lined up to support the cause.

Clipex, Akubra, RB Sellers, School of the Air and the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW and many more.

Article courtesy of Fairfax Digital and the Queensland Country Life