Former Geelong Cats Captain Revived After Heart Attack at Bunbury Races
Former Geelong Cats captain Mark Bairstow has been revived and is in a stable condition after suffering a sudden heart attack at the Bunbury Races on Sunday afternoon.
The 62-year-old was attending the Bunbury Turf Club in Western Australia when he collapsed near the mounting yard shortly after 4 pm local time while celebrating a win by his son, Dylan, in race four. First responders used a defibrillator to revive Bairstow on two separate occasions before he was taken to Bunbury Regional Hospital for further treatment.
Bairstow, a decorated figure in Australian football, captained the Geelong Football Club for three seasons during his AFL career and was named an All-Australian three times. He is also a member of the Western Australian Football Hall of Fame and was a standout player after being drafted from South Fremantle at age 24.
The heart attack occurred as temperatures neared 35°C, and it’s understood he had been feeling unwell with breathlessness shortly before collapsing. Hospital staff have stabilised his condition and are conducting further tests to determine the cause of the cardiac event.
Bairstow’s family has expressed “deep gratitude” to those who acted swiftly to save his life, and the Geelong football community has been notified of his condition.
