He was one of the first in line to donate, since becoming eligible along with those who lived in the United Kingdom during the 'Mad Cow disease' outbreak.

"I've often checked to see if they've changed the rules, because I just think it's a good thing to do," he said.

"I'm O negative, which is very useful, so I've always wanted to give blood, but haven't been able to do so."

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The 52 year old was born in the UK and left six months after Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its human equivalent variant flared.

Restrictions came into effect in 2000 as a precautionary measure to respond to concerns about variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), a fatal disease with a long incubation period and no screening test to identify carriers.

The recommendation by Lifeblood to remove the rule was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and eligibility opened on July 25.

Lifeblood and UNSW Sydney's Kirby Institute performed an in-depth risk assessment demonstrating that Australia's blood supply will remain safe.

About 18,000 additional donors, which could contribute up to 58,000 additional donations each year, are expected by the blood bank.

The Lifeblood team is contacting donors who have previously been unable to donate.

As for Mat, the universal donor doesn't feel nervous and isn't a needle-phobe.

"I was in the army, I've had about 40 vaccinations," he said.

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