Healing power of community

Coalcliff SLSC Life Member Dave Winner has taught countless young people surf life saving, CPR and first aid. Now it’s the community’s turn to come to the rescue, with local physiotherapists offering their services pro bono to help Dave recover from an accident in the surf

The day of Dave Winner’s accident was an otherwise ordinary one.

“August 5th 2021 I was going for a surf at Coalcliff about 2pm on a nice sunny winter’s day, something I have done many times over the 40 years that we have lived in Coalcliff,” Dave says.

“There was a moderate swell with good conditions.”

Dave has little memory of what happened next, but witnesses have told him that he was caught out by a large wave. “I hit my head on some shallow rocks, this resulted in breaking my neck with fractures to my C2 and C3 vertebrae.”

Dave understands he was underwater for about five minutes. “Luckily for me two young men who witnessed me getting washed into the water and not resurface came looking for me.

“Another large wave actually then came through and washed me up onto the rock shelf at their feet.

“This is where I was lucky again in that they were trained in CPR.

“I want to emphasise how important it is to know how to perform CPR because this can and did save my life and I am eternally grateful to those who worked on me.”

Dave was flown to the Royal North Shore Hospital’s spinal unit and stayed in hospital for six months, finally returning home on 14 January.

Then his rehabilitation continued – thanks to local professionals volunteering their services.

“A special thanks to the team at Purpose Physiotherapy at Coledale who have been instrumental in improving my strength and mobility,” Dave says.

After six months of physiotherapy with Purpose physio Kye Simpson – which included hydrotherapy sessions in Coalcliff ocean pool – Dave achieved something remarkable.

Kye says: “After months of hard work, specific strengthening and strategising on how to get Dave on and off the floor safely, we submitted a video application of Dave performing CPR independently and uninterrupted for two minutes on both an adult and infant manikin.

“Dave has recently been notified that his First Aid re-certification has been renewed, which allows him to continue to teach First Aid to the community. This has been very crucial in Dave’s sense of belonging and purpose in the community.”

Kye says Dave is one of the most “motivated individuals” he has ever met. “Our next focus is to continue to improve Dave’s mobility, in the hope that he can walk independently with his quad base walking stick in the near future.”

Lara Samuelsson and the team from The Physio Pilates Movement (TPM) have also been helping Dave, providing rehabilitation and Pilates exercises.

Lara, who is a physiotherapist and an exercise physiologist, said: “I know Dave as he is a big part of our community and when I heard about his injury I offered to assist and help him get moving and gain his independence back.”

Lara says Dave has made tremendous improvements. “He is so much stronger and with his dedication he will show everybody how it’s done. He is already back at work teaching first aid so more people can know the life-saving skill of CPR, which was used to save Dave himself.”

Dave is grateful to the surf club, the many locals who donated to a GoFundMe campaign, occupational therapist Lisa Bowker, of the Holistic Network and local tradies. “They donated their own time, enabled me to renovate my home to suit my needs as a quadriplegic and I am so grateful for the help. We really do live in a great area.”

Despite his ordeal Dave was lucky. On the beach that day were a number of people whose quick actions and first aid skills are the reason he survived. The Winner family and the community would like to thank Andrew Massey, Damian Lloyd, Harry Balaskas, Jim Dalmer, Kane Faust, Luke Dalton, Luke Morgan, Mitchell Loveday, Roger Blairs, Tim Lloyd and Yaan Keller Bergman as well as NSW Ambulance Service, NSW Police Scarborough Fire Brigade, Toll Helicopter and any others involved.