Former Geelong Cats captain Mark Bairstow has been revived and is in stable condition after suffering a sudden heart attack at the Bunbury races on Sunday afternoon, hospital and eyewitnesses have confirmed.
The 62-year-old AFL legend collapsed near the mounting yard at the Bunbury Turf Club shortly before 4 p.m. local time as temperatures approached the mid-30 °C mark. Bairstow had been celebrating his son Dylan’s success in winning the fourth race of the day when he went into cardiac arrest.
Emergency responders at the event acted swiftly, administering a defibrillator twice at the scene to restart his heart before he was transported by St John WA ambulance in critical condition to Bunbury Regional Hospital. Medical staff later upgraded his status to stable as further assessments continue.
Bairstow, a three-time All-Australian who captained the Geelong Football Club during the early 1990s, has openly battled ongoing heart issues in recent years. Despite previous serious health scares — including nearly two weeks on life support in 2023 due to complications related to heart and lung issues — he had remained active in the community and close to his family’s sporting pursuits.
Family members and witnesses described a frightening sequence of events as the former midfielder suddenly appeared breathless moments before collapsing. His son and those around him were reportedly among the first to assist before professional paramedics took over.
Bairstow’s AFL career is celebrated both in Victoria and his home state of Western Australia. Drafted at age 24 from South Fremantle, he went on to play over 160 games with Geelong, earning Sandover and All-Australian honours and later being inducted into the Western Australian Football Hall of Fame.
The football community, including past teammates and club officials, have been notified of the incident and many have sent messages of support to Bairstow and his family. As he continues his recovery, medical staff are conducting further tests to determine the precise cause of the heart attack, with all expressing gratitude for the effective and immediate care he received at the track.
