“We raised between $1300 and $1400 during the year to spend on our Year 12 Formal for decorations etcetera,” Former School Captain Sharni Manton said. “But then we thought, the formal is only  one night, let’s do something more meaningful with the money.”

The students kept all costs to a minimum, decorating the hall themselves. They decided to donate the leftover money to a cause that was close to all their hearts.

Lui Polimeni passed away in 2016. He was their classmate and their friend. His parents’ agonising decision to donate his organs gave life to six other other people.

“They are such a lovely family. Lui’s mum Jenny made all the floral decorations for our formal.” Ms Manton said. “We decided that supporting organ donation with the money was the right thing to do, in memory of how Lui touched all our lives.”

Statistics show that around 1400 Australians are currently waitlisted for a transplant.  A further 11,000 are on dialysis, many of whom would benefit from a kidney transplant. In 2017, 1,675 lives were transformed by 510 deceased and 273 living organ donors and their families.

To register to become an organ donor go to: https://donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today