MAGNIFICENT GESTURE BY LIFE MEMBER OF THE CLUB

Bobby McClymont (Club Treasurer) accepts the gift of a defibrillator from Ros Dunsmuir, a life   member at Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club.

ROS DUNSMUIR DONATES DEFIBRILLATOR

TO NEWBURGH-ON-YTHAN GOLF CLUB 

NEWS RELEASE FROM NEWBURGH-ON-YTHAN GOLF CLUB
In August 2013, former Ryder Cup captain, Bernard Gallacher collapsed during a dinner at The Marcliffe Hotel on the outskirts of Aberdeen. This was due to a sudden cardiac arrest. 
Fortunately, the hotel had a defibrillator which was used by the hotel staff to administer early life-saving shocks. This, together with the other medical assistance that he received, enabled Bernard to make a full recovery.
Following his experience, the Bernard Gallacher Defibrillator Campaign was launched in association with the support of the Professional Golfers’ Association and the Arrhythmia Alliance with the aim of having a defibrillator in every UK golf club by the end of 2014. 
Sudden cardiac arrests cause 100,000 deaths a year in the UK. This figure is higher than the combined deaths due to lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDs. Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) only saves the lives of 5% of those who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest. CPR when used alongside an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) massively increases the survival rate from 5% to 50%. 
This highlights the reason why golf clubs are being encouraged to have a defibrillator available as the chance of survival when combined with CPR treatment is so much higher.
In April, the Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club Monthly Newsletter carried an article about Gallacher’s sudden cardiac arrest and how his treatment with a defibrillator had contributed to his subsequent recovery. 
Robbie Stewart, Newburgh-on-Ythan's  new PGA professional, recommended that the club should get a defibrillator. The Newsletter went on to say that the golf club committee were exploring  ways to fund the purchase of an automated external defibrillator for the club and which would also be available for the local community.
On the day that the Newsletter was published, two golf club members came forward with amazing offers to donate sufficient funds to enable the club to purchase a defibrillator immediately. 
The first offer which was accepted was made by Rosaleen (Ros) Dunsmuir, a life-member of Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club. 
As a retired lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Robert Gordon University, Ros said “I am very happy to make a positive contribution to the club and to the local community and I hope that the defibrillator will  never need to be used." 
Ros handed over the AED to Bobby McClymont, the club’s treasurer and seniors convener, who accepted it on behalf of Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club. 
Bobby said “This is a fantastic gift from Ros which is greatly appreciated as a vital, potentially life-saving instrument which the club is delighted to receive. We cannot thank Ros enough for her generosity and like Ros we hope that it will never be needed”.