At ease: Bendigo Bank’s Merv Ericson has donated a portable defibrillator to the Glen Waverley Tennis Club as accepted by Paul Bowman. Picture: Wayne Hawkins
TENNIS clubs in Monash are joining a growing list of sports clubs to receive a potentially live-saving defibrillator.
Glen Waverley Tennis Club, Glenburn Tennis Club, Holy Family Tennis Club and the Waverley District Tennis Association (WDTA) each recently received an automated external defibrillator, courtesy of grants from Pinewood Community Bank Bendigo Bank Branch, a long-term supporter of local sporting clubs and community clubs and organisations.
Glen Waverley Tennis Club’s Paul Bowman said he was pleased the club’s application for a defibrillator was accepted.
‘‘I am delighted that our club will be one of the first [tennis] sporting clubs in the district to have one of these potentially life-saving devices,’’ he said. ‘‘We have many older members so it’s especially important to have a defibrillator at the club.’’
The tennis club joins a growing list of clubs to receive a ‘heart-starter’.
In May, every club in the Southern Football League received a life-saving defibrillator. At a cost of more than $55,000, the league — which includes clubs in Ashwood, Clayton, Mt Waverley and Oakleigh — had underwritten defibrillators at 24 of its 30 clubs that were without the machines.
According to Defib Your Club For Life, about 30,000 Australians experience sudden cardiac arrests every year.
A cardiac arrest can occur at any point in a person’s life and immediate access to defibrillation can be life-saving.
The defibrillators were presented to the tennis clubs and the WDTA this month during an AED training session run by training provider Emergency First Aid.
Mr Bowman said it was the first and only training session required for club members because of the automatic nature of the defibrillator.
AEDs have an in-built computer chip that analyses heart rhythms instantly and accurately so procedures can be administered by non-professionals.
Having an AED at the club allows Mr Bowman to have peace of mind. ‘‘It’s a nice piece of comfort for everyone to know that we’ve got that equipment there, but we just hope we never have to use it.’’
The Glen Waverley Tennis Club was established in 1906 and is the oldest sporting club in Monash.