A memorial bench at the Australian Botanic Gardens offers a place for Annette's family to reflect and remember.
29 July 2025
In brief:
- This year marks 50 years of organ donation in Canberra.
- It’s DonateLife Week 2025 from Sunday 27 July to Sunday 3 August.
- A Canberra street will be named after the ACT’s first organ donor.
- Annette Taylor was the first organ donor in 1975.
This year marks 50 years of organ donation in Canberra.
To commemorate, a street will be named after the ACT’s first donor, Annette Taylor, who was just 11 years old.
A street in the suburb of Macnamara will be named ‘Annette Street’ to honour her legacy and celebrate organ donation in the ACT.
Annette’s story
Annette expressed her wish to become an organ donor after learning about organ donation from a family friend who received a life-saving kidney donation.
When Annette experienced an unexpected cerebral brain haemorrhage weeks before her 12th birthday in 1975, her mother made sure her wish was honoured.
With the help of medical professionals in the ACT and NSW, Annette’s kidneys were successfully donated to two recipients.
Her request to have her organs donated led to the ACT’s first legislation on organ donation.
Since that first act of generosity, organ and tissue donation in the ACT has grown into a vital service that provides many lifesaving transplants across the country.
DonateLife Week
This week, Sunday 27 July to Sunday 3 August, is DonateLife Week 2025.
The week encourages Australians to talk to their loved ones about organ and tissue donation and register their decision.
While 4 in 5 Australians support organ donation, only one in 3 are currently registered.
In the ACT, 28% of eligible residents are on the Australian Organ Donor Register, which is below the national average.
Despite having fewer registered donors, Canberrans continue to change lives. In 2024,13 donors transformed 42 lives.
Register
By registering to be an organ and tissue donor, you could save someone’s life.
It is important to discuss your donation decision with your loved ones, so they are aware of your wishes.
Join the register on the DonateLife website.
For more information, visit the Canberra Health Services website.
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