72-year-old Sewlal Mungal Dawoonarain is often described as the “heart and soul” of blood clinics hosted at the town hall. Mr Dawoonarain is the Clinic Co-ordinator at local blood clinic held by the South African National Blood Service (SANBS). Mr Dawoonarain splits his time between notifying the public about upcoming blood clinics and assisting in recruiting potential blood donors to the monthly blood clinics. Born in Ladysmith, he is the second eldest of five siblings. After a few years Mr Dawoonarain relocated to our dainty town, Estcourt.

Mr Dawoonarain tells that it is due to his family’s financial constraints that they could only afford his primary phase of education. He therefore encourages students to make the most of their schooling career. Mr Dawoonarain has now been happily married for 52 years to his wife Mrs L Dawoonarain. Mr Dawoonarain is very passionate about family and has passed his family values and family understanding down onto his four sons and seven grand children.

Mr Dawoonarain lives by the following motto: “Whatever you do, do it with love and your duties should be filled with righteousness.” He is a strong believer that people need to restrict their desire. “Man is deluded by his unlimited desires, that’s where the ego comes in. It is important to keep our desires under control, to place a ceiling on them,” said Mr Dawoonarain firmly. Here are a few interesting facts about Mr Dawoonarain you may not have been aware of:

1. Mr Dawoonarain has been recruiting blood donors since 1987 for the Sai Organisation in Estcourt. Today, 28 years later Mr Dawoonarain still recruits blood donors for the South African National Blood Services (SANBS).
2. During the past five years Mr Dawoonarain and the SANBS team have involved secondary schools in donating life-saving plasma.
3. His motivation behind offering help to the SANBS team was to serve the community, meet different people within the community and motivate the youth to nurture their health.
4. Mr Dawoonarain is a strong believer that community service is the highest form of service to mankind, and that service to mankind is service to God.
5. Mr Dawoonarain has been donating blood since 1972, for the Blood Transfusion Service, as it was known at the time.
6. He loves keeping fit and healthy by cycling and running.
7. As a pastime Mr Dawoonarain loves reading spiritual books and tending to odd jobs around his home.
8. Mr Dawoonarain’s ideal wish is for world peace.