Bouncer in Aussie court

A New Zealand-born nightclub bouncer accused of seriously assaulting Sydney surfer Sam Page has made a brief appearance in a Gold Coast court.

Eugene White, 32, of Labrador on the Gold Coast, appeared in Southport Magistrates Court yesterday charged with grievous bodily harm.

Page was celebrating his 21st birthday with friends at a Surfers Paradise strip club on February 25 when White allegedly punched the Manly surfer and pushed him down a flight of stairs.

Page suffered a fractured skull and swelling on the brain and was placed in a medically induced coma in Gold Coast Hospital.

He is recovering steadily but still suffers memory blanks and has lost feeling in his fingers after his near-death experience.