Man who fell to the earth makes music

Two David Bowie tribute gigs have been held to raise funds for an automatic external defibrillator (AED) to be installed at North Head in Devonport.

The concerts, called 'Under Pressure', were put on by a band the Wonderfish Collective, which Geoff Brogan is a vocalist in.

Mr Brogan, 54, went into cardiac arrest on the pitch while playing for Western Springs Football Club in January at Auckland's Seddon Fields.

“If the club hadn’t had an AED on the premises, I probably wouldn’t have survived,” he said.

An AED sends an electric pulse through the body, shocking a heart that has stopped back into rhythm.

The Wonderfish Collective performing live. Video: Supplied

Mr Brogan was also an ambassador for an event held in Albany last Thursday by New Zealand Football, where it was announced AEDs would be rolled out at clubs nationwide over the next two years.

New Zealand Football’s national injury prevention manager, Megan Crockett, said the Smart Start programme was about ensuring safer football communities.

“If we only saved one life with this entire programme that would be awesome but we know having more AEDs out in the community will save more than just our footballers’ lives as well.”

Her comments came just days before 54-year-old Jeff Partington died on the pitch in Napier, while playing for Hastings Hibernian Masters in the annual New Zealand Marist tournament.

The Smart Start programme in a nutshell. Video: Supplied / New Zealand Football

Auckland City Hospital director of coronary care, Professor Harvey White, believes AEDs should be a mandatory part of organisations’ health and safety systems.

“When somebody has a cardiac arrest, for every minute delay mortality goes up 10 percent. And when you consider that the average time for an ambulance to respond is 12 minutes, it’s unlikely they will survive,” said Professor White.

He said AEDs should be available wherever large numbers of people gather, such as at sports clubs, schools, event centres and transport hubs.

“The government should fund them in all government buildings, otherwise it should come from private resources.”

The Wonderfish Collective’s sell-out concerts were held at The Victoria Theatre last Saturday and at Galatos off Karangahape Rd the Saturday before.

Another concert is being planned in Mount Eden, with the group just short of the $1500 needed to purchase the AED.

They want to house it in the Department of Conservation buildings on top of North Head, as it is an area where a lot of people visit that has no AED immediately nearby.