by Nicholas Duck

When Moe Tennis Club player Greg Wiggins showed up to play his weekly Saturday competition, he didn't expect to be leaving in the back of an ambulance.

Partway through a match, an irregular heart rhythm sent the 64-year-old crashing into unconsciousness and at one stage caused him to stop breathing.
It was only through the quick thinking of his fellow players, who put into practice their basic CPR knowledge and the club's automated external defibrillator (AED), that they were able to keep him alive until paramedics arrived.
Now Greg, along with those responsible for saving his life, are advocating for more preparedness at community sports clubs - and particularly the need for defibrillators.
While other people may hesitate to speak about what was a near death experience, Greg is quite frank about the incident and even more frank about how close he was to not making it.
Returning to the Moe Tennis Club, Greg and his wife Mandy recently met with the players who saved his life. "If I hadn't have had people like you who thought 'get the defibrillator' I probably wouldn't be here," he says - his gratitude obvious.
"The doctors at the hospitals were quite clear in that 'if you were by yourself or out somewhere, you'd be gone.' Simple as that."
Greg began that fateful November afternoon as any other, heading to his club's home courts for their section 1/2 doubles tie against visitors from Trafalgar Tennis Club.
He got through his first set without too much issue, registering a 6-2 win, before returning to the court for his second rubber.
Initially, Greg's collapse, which occurred immediately after the end of a particularly arduous doubles point, was met with some laughter from both teammates and opponents.
However, the mood shifted violently after Trafalgar player Simon James saw something was very wrong from the sidelines, yelling out and spurring things into action.
It was from there that things became real.
Keeping Greg alive was certainly a team effort, but one person in particular gets plenty of his plaudits - Trafalgar's Amy Chaplain.
A Thorpdale Primary School staff member, by first impressions she might not have been what you think of when you picture someone taking charge in a high pressure emergency situation.
But her diminutive stature betrays the strength she showed during the incident, where she saw a group panic set in and knew someone needed to need to step up.
"Most people when they're panicked they go into shock, so most people were kind of standing there not knowing what to do. So I thought it's going to have to be me," she says.
First aid training, including CPR, is a requirement in Amy's field, but she never expected to put it to use in such a grave situation.
"I'm not usually a medical person. It wasn't even me, I just kind of turned into a robot."
Amy began to give her orders, galvanising those around her while Greg's Moe teammate Sharon Madeley had triple zero on the line.
Fellow Moe players Garyth 'Fish' Mullett and Kellie Dabkowski kicked into gear as they launched into CPR, while Simon assisted in monitoring Greg's vital signs.
From here the group's recollection gets a little hazy. With adrenaline flowing minutes felt like seconds and memories can be much harder to recall later.
One thing they do remember was Moe club president Ryan Davis running to retrieve the club's AED, kept in the club rooms.
Garyth describes one moment where he attempted to do chest compressions with some struggles due to a recent surgery limiting his physical movement, resulting in Amy pushing him aside.
Amy now appears surprised by how forceful she was in her commands.
"Someone said 'why isn't the ambulance coming?' and I was like 'sir,' and I don't call anyone sir or ma'am, I said 'sir, the ambulance is on its way, they just need to keep asking questions on the phone.' I wasn't even making eye contact with people."
There was a sense of relief among the group when Greg began breathing again, and more so when paramedics arrived.
They didn't do things by half either - three ambulances and a fire engine turned up.
For Greg, all he remembers is waking up in the back of an ambulance, wondering exactly what happened. For those left behind, they were left with was an eerie feeling as they experienced the comedown.
"The atmosphere was just...I don't even really know how to explain it, it was just a weird atmosphere. It was like 'did that really just happen?'" says Sharon.
It was Sharon who had the job of ringing Greg's wife Mandy. According to her phone logs, it was just 17 minutes between calling triple zero and calling Mandy.
"It seemed like forever," she says.
Matches at the club were cancelled for the day.
Greg's incident at the club wasn't an isolated one - 18 months before he had collapsed in similar circumstances at a Traralgon badminton tournament.
Like at the tennis club, it was only thanks to the quick actions of people around him, including three nurses, that he made it through.
After his second incident, Greg has had a small defibrillator installed in his chest. "I've got this now and I'll wear that for the rest of my life. And I'm not fussed with that, it gives me security and it gives my family security to know that I'm taken care of," he says.
Owing his life to the use of an AED, Greg and co. are advocating strongly for all sports clubs to make sure they're properly prepared in case of an emergency.
At 64, Greg might be past his sporting peak and a vulnerable target for heart-related issues, but heart failure can affect anyone at any age.
As our discussion turns to the importance of defibrillators, paramedic John Koopmans arrives for a hit of tennis. Unbelievably, John had attended to Greg at both of his incidents.
As an expert, John could attest to how vital an AED is when somebody's heartbeat goes out of rhythm.
"It's good for 'Wiggo' that he's had these available twice now," he says. "And if we're talking about the importance of an AED and public access, the longer that you stay in a cardiac rhythm that is suitable to be defibrillated the harder it is to shock someone out of it. So the sooner you can get that on board the better."
Responsibility on clubs
One of the main issues facing sports clubs purchasing and maintaining defibrillators is the associated costs. They aren't cheap, as many can attest.
Moe Tennis Club's AED was donated by local Parkrun organisers, who had one more than they needed. Sharon admits it was something they likely wouldn't have thought about otherwise.
Since the incident, however, Sharon has contacted every club in the Riverside Tennis Association to inquire if they have an AED and, if not, encourage them to invest in one.
Some sporting associations, such as AFL Victoria and Netball Victoria, offer club grants that can be applied for, while Sport and Recreation Victoria's Emergency Sporting Equipment Grant Program is another option.
Locally, Baw Baw Shire Council provides AEDs at all council-owned swimming pools and indoor stadiums managed by the YMCA.
For sporting groups and clubs, however, it's their responsibility to make it happen.
Council stated new buildings or facility upgrades must align to its Sports Pavilion Design and Development Policy which recommend the inclusion of first aid rooms, though not necessarily the equipment within them.
Baw Baw Shire community infrastructure director Ben Wood said council's community grants program was the best way for clubs to look into purchasing AEDs or other emergency instruments.
The question for sporting clubs now remains. Buying an AED may be expensive, but what kind of cost are they risking by not having one?
Now that some time has passed since Greg's near-death experience, the question is asked if the reality of what happened has sunk in yet.
"It's very surreal. Not for me, really," Amy says.
"It just seems like it happened to someone else," Sharon adds.
Greg's view of the day is fairly straightforward.
"I owe them a debt that can't be repaid, simple as that.
"You don't find out what a person's true colours are until they're put in a situation. You can see all the simulations, you can do all the training, but until you're faced with it and you've got to make a decision based on your knowledge it's difficult."
Greg commends Amy's reaction. "You showed leadership, you showed wanting to get in and help someone. That's magnificent.
"I just hope that if I'm in the same position to do the same thing for someone else I'll be up to it and do what I have to do."