South-west man Gerard Lynch is fighting back from aneurysm

Born: Warrnambool on July 16, 1950.

Partner: Jill. Children: Travis, Stacey and Abbey.

Parents: Frank and Rhoda. Siblings: Frank,Joan, Mary, Tom and Anne.

Education: St Mary's Primary School Woodford before going to Warrnambool CBC and then Warrnambool North Technical School for the last three years of my secondary education.

Gerard, what are your memories of Grassmere's football premiership win back in 1972?

Dennington was going for premiers and champions.

There were a few fights early in the game and the central umpire, Des Gleeson, had his hands full for the first quarter.

Our playing coach, Trevor Fulton, warned us before the game that Dennington would want to rough us up but we got the jump on them. The game was up at the Friendlies oval.

I played full-back in the 1972 premiership side. Tony Beks was in one back pocket while John O'Connor was in the other back pocket. We had Basil Ryan, who was a champion player for us, in the centre and Pat Gleeson played as centre-half-forward. We defeated Dennington by about three goals.

Who did you start your footy career with?

I started out with a side called Country in their under 14 side and then their under 17 side.

My parents had a farm not far from the Grassmere Junction. We milked 35 cows on 74 acres and my parents had six children.

We were one of 11 families from around that area that supplied milk to the milk factory at Grassmere Junction.

We used to walk a mile in the mornings to catch the bus to go to school, and if you missed the bus you would ride the bike to Woodford to go to school.

I went in and played three games of footy with Warrnambool's under 18 side before going back out to play with Grassmere.

I ended up playing 305 games with the club.

I suppose my biggest regret in my footy career was staying with Grassmere after I had been asked to go and train with Koroit.

Les Cameron asked me to go there in 1971, while his brother Gary asked in 1973. History now shows that Koroit won premierships in both those years but I must say I had a great time out at Grassmere.

I was on the committee at Grassmere and got heavily involved when they amalgamated with Bushfield to form Northern Districts in 1986. Ken Shepherd, who ran the old shop at Bushfield, was their president.

We had numerous meetings relating to the merger. We appointed Wayne Cox as the inaugural coach at Northern Districts.

He was a wonderful appointment because he had been such a great, tough local footballer and was highly respected by his teammates and opponents. His appointment was for three years.

I decided to hang up the boots when Northern Districts was formed in 1986. I wanted to focus on my golfing career.

Did you sustain many injuries during your footy career?

I had a few. I broke my right ankle in a game against Dennington. I got a broken jaw in another game and a broken nose and was concussed.

As I got older my hamstrings tightened up but that's what happens.

I was supposed to go in to have my left knee replaced but I've had a few other health issues which were of a greater priority than the knee replacement.

Can you talk about those health issues?

Yes. My first issue occurred on November 28 last year. I had a bad headache and decided to go to bed. I can't remember much more.

My partner Jill, who is a nurse, belted me on the chest for eight minutes - as I had stopped breathing - to try and get me revived. She had phoned the ambulance and they arrived to the house after Jill had got me going. I was airlifted straight to St Vincent's Hospital.

I woke up eight days later with my family around the bed. The doctors said I had a large aneurysm.

I arrived back home in Warrnambool on Christmas Eve.

That's a great Christmas present, to be back home for the celebrations. How were you feeling?

I was not too bad but I got crook again on March 1. I was admitted to the Warrnambool Base Hospital before going to St John of God and then went back to St Vincent's in Melbourne, where they inserted a shunt in the back of my head to help the blood flow to my brain.

I spent eight days at St Vincent's. I had to go back down to St Vincent's for another aneurysm operation on July 22, on the left side of my brain.

The most painful part what I've been through was the dye going up through my groin to my brain for the scans. It was just so painful.

I was told before the operation about all the worries about having the second aneurysm operation.

Luckily, I came through the two aneurysm operations and the shunt operation in pretty good health.

The stitches - and there were lots of them - dissolved while they pulled the staples out of my head.

I'm just so lucky to be alive. Without quick-thinking from Jill on that night in November last year, I would be dead. I must mention all the medical staff at the Warrnambool Base Hospital, St John of God Hospital and St Vincent's - they have all been sensational.

And I can't forget the ambulance staff. They were also sensational.

Gerard, it's a fair comment to say that you've been at death's door. How are things going with your health now?

I'm pretty good. I would love to get back out on the golf course in October but it all depends on what the doctors have to say.

I've been in partnership at SL Distributors with David Stapleton for more than 25 years, and Geoff Morris from over the border.

We've got 23 workers at our Warrnambool factory where we have 7500 lines in the warehouse.

I said previously I love golf. I've held a few administration roles at the Warrnambool Golf Club, including president for six years, and I'm a life member of the club.