Blood Donation

Blood Donation Run of Feb 2004

Run No. : 1522

Date : 24/02/2004

This could be the last dashing of 100 metres for our Tuesday Hash House Harriers Club. The GM Vibrator, who is on the third quarter of his term, has put up a one-man show. Blood donation started at 4.00pm afternoon at Seafarer Restaurant at Klebang Besar. By then the medical auxiliary team from the General Hospital Malacca was ready to receive the on coming donors. It was a fine day and all things well. The Hare Bombastic with his team of co-hares, Grizzly Bear, Wong Seong and Ho!Ho!Ho! took to the mark and dart out to lay the run. Beagle brought in the 150 pieces of on site T-shirts which have a big drop of blood with the motto ‘You can have it when you need it’ per sic. at the front. Vibrator brought in five cartons of Cool Spring mineral water. Gary gave two cartons of Double Decker titbit. The On Doc of both Tuesday and Thursday Hash combined and gave 90 pieces of 66 Queen’s Towel. And so the campaign began.

First donor was a Malay Kampong boy who told he is a loafer from Trengganu. Then Danabalan boys (five from his factory) received the freebies. Tormented husband and wife brought along their team of children. Rasputin, an Orang Utan Hasher wore his bullish T-shirt. Full Moon was turned back by the blood inspector who told her she was having low level of ferrous element. Kaiser, who was a senior outstation hasher, was turned down due to the regional factor of Mad Cow disease in thee European Continent.

We, the local hashers, had been well tuned to the Tropical Diseases. As the Chinese saying goes : To return the vengeance of a single arrow.

There were 56 hashers came and some took on the warm up exercise led by Beagle. By 6.00pm we ran out the compound of the restaurant and jogged along the coastline. First was a long stretch of marble pavement with picnicker basking in the sun.

There were a lot of makan stores, the pavilion for this seaside. Further on, some tycoon bungalows display along the beach. The trail got a stuck with the estuary of the Tangga Batu irrigation canal and the First Check took the place. I, who was wearing the 2002 Malacca Joint Run T-shirt took the false trail across the main road. Most of the settlers were Malay and walking along the canal for about ten minutes, I took the path into the maze of Malay Kampong on the left. The wooden houses there were built in the 1950’s and with a lot of fruit trees and greenery planted in the vicinity. There was a football field with some Malay teens playing game shouting persecutive words all the time. Then I approached to the posterior part of the district. There were bungalows and terrace houses; each had two to three cars, some brand new. After 15 minutes, I stepped out to the main road with a road sign saying ‘ Taman Orkid’.

I crossed the road and rejoined the home trail. Before I stepped onto the pavement along the beach, Vibrator appeared in front of me. It was 7.05pm. He sweats and ran out of my sight and then this Mary Josephine ran passed my side and told me to join her for a short run. I cast my breath and pace on the side of the main road again. Then this Beagle ran passed me and we were at the gate to the restaurant. All the while, I believe blood donors were coming in. At a count, there were 50 people from the public donated blood.

The hashers gathered at the parking lot for a refreshment. 17 hashers donated blood. Fairy Chan was one of them. Garfield surprisingly also donated. Iron Man, who was secluded for sometime called this a QRegular Run. At 8.00pm, our On Doc, Dr Dave went to the hospital staff and had a raison with them. Then, the medical unit packed their equipment and was ready to go. Each were given a T-shirt, a hot Milo drink and few bread bun.There was, in fact, a buffet table of solid food and I think they will be entertained later on.

It was a memorial run. Wong, who was a post-dated hash man enrolled with the club. This is an injection to revitalize the club again.There were 5 crates of token beer from Guinness Anchor and from the club itself, 2 crates of stout. The committee wants to thank McTyson and Cassey who played hosts to the blood donation campaign in their well-known Seafarer Restaurant. On On of five tables continued with a one-man band playing on the stage. The GM Vibrator gave a few On Downs to the sponserers of the event, namely Chock Choon Sin, a former GM who had work with Vibrator and Full Moon as the three lines up for that hashing year.

The Verdict : Tuesday Hashers have taken the lead in Blood Donation Run for 28 years and now they are overtaken by the public. This is a sad tune. An old Chinese saying goes : Launch Lengthy String to Catch Chunky Fish. The club awaits for a miraculous outcome.

Vigraman