Whanganui Marist Rugby Club gains new defibrillator

Injured Marist Rugby player Stelios Meimaris' son Owen with Marist's defibrillator, supplied by the New Zealand Rugby Foundation.

Whanganui Marist Rugby Club has a new defibrillator as part of a campaign to have one at every rugby club in the country.

The campaign is being run by the New Zealand Rugby Foundation which supports injured rugby players across New Zealand as well as their families.

NZRF chief executive Lisa Kingi-Bon said the organisation set this goal after former All Blacks doctor John Mayhew suffered a cardiac arrest in 2016.

Kingi-Bon said Mayhew would have died if a defibrillator hadn't been nearby.

The first defibrillators were assigned to clubs on the foundation's list of what it deems "very injured players" - those which it provides lifelong care for.

That player for Marist is Stelios Meimaris, who suffered an injury to his C6 vertebrae while training in 1980, leaving him paralysed.

Meimaris now lives in Christchurch with his wife, and one of his four sons - Owen - returned to the club to mark the installation of the defibrillator.

Whanganui Marist Rugby Football Club president Clark Allan said they had not needed to use it as of yet, but that it was good to have for peace of mind.

Whanganui Rugby Football Union chief executive Bridget Belsham said the union supported the move.

"We would love to get a defibrillator in each of our clubs... they're definitely a key part of our game with the high intensity of our game," she said.

Belsham said that the NZRF has done great work in supporting injured rugby players in Whanganui.

Kingi-Bon has also said that the NZRF's donations have already saved the life of a Taranaki man who collapsed after a drill at training.

Within five minutes the man's teammates had retrieved their defibrillator and within 30 seconds of administering the shock, the player was responsive.

*The NZRF is a nationally recognised charity and donations can be made to them via their website; https://www.rugbyfoundation.com/