Still a Champion: Guy Leech aims to make Gold Coast the defib capital of Australia

What do you get when you cross eight Bendigo Community Bank^® branches with a former ironman? Fourteen community defib units in Gold Coast businesses and community clubs!

The obvious next question is why? For our eight Community Bank^® branches on the Gold Coast, it's just another way that local banking contributes to the better health and wellbeing of local people.

For Ironman Champion, Surf lifesaver and Defibrillator Ambassador, Guy Leech from Heart180, it's a passion to equip local businesses, community centres and sporting clubs with lifesaving defib machines.

"After losing my mate to sudden cardiac arrest during one of my fitness classes more than three years ago, I learnt the hard way about the importance of defibrillators during such an emergency", Guy Leech said.

"Sudden cardiac arrest is the biggest killer here in Australia, with nearly 100 people a day dying from SCA around the country".

"The only way they can survive is with a shock from a defib, so I launched Heart180 in a bid to get a defib within 180 seconds of every Australian. To have the Community Bank^® network on the Gold Coast get behind this initiative is a fantastic way to help fast-track this lofty goal and this partnership will raise awareness and help get more defibs out there into the community!"

Representing the Gold Coast Region Community Bank^® boards' participating in this project, Robert Knight, said the collaboration and partnership with Guy Leech was a logical approach to ensure more widespread defib coverage across the Gold Coast.

"We all know someone, whether it's a family member or a friend or a friend of a friend, who has had, or does have, a heart condition.

"In fact, every year 30,000 Australians die from a sudden cardiac arrest. Without a defibrillator you have about a six percent chance of survival and with a defibrillator, the odds are as high as about a 90 percent chance of survival," said Mr Knight.

With these alarming numbers in mind, and having personally experienced the loss of local community members to heart attacks, the directors of the Gold Coast Community Banks decided to not only fund a defib unit for each of their branches, but to purchase a further six to be strategically located at sites across the Gold Coast.

"We know defibs save lives and by joining forces not only across our Gold Coast network but with Guy as a community leader, we are providing defib coverage to an expanding and much larger section of our communities.

"Of course, we hope to never have to break the seal on these machines but it's a sad reality that people die from heart conditions and we want our communities to be prepared and able to save lives," Mr Knight concluded.

Defib units are now located in these Gold Coast Bendigo Community Bank^® branches:

• Ormeau - 19-21 Peachey Road Ormeau
• Upper Coomera - Cnr Reserve & Tamborine Oxenford Rd Upper Coomera
• Paradise Point - 2-4/42 The Esplanade Paradise Point
• Biggera Waters - 33 Hollywell Road Biggera Waters
• Helensvale - 12 Sir John Overall Drive Helensvale
• Canungra - Shop 1/44 Christie Street Canungra
• Varsity Lakes - 7/195 Varsity Parade Varsity
• Tugun - 1-3/482 Golden Four Drive Tugun

Gold Coast Community Defibrillators

The five community defibs will be placed in various locations on the Gold Coast including sporting clubs and community organisations.

For more information about supporting Heart180 see www.heart180.com.au