Maimed surfer an inspiration
Shark attack survivor Sean Pollard gave an inspiring pre-match address to his South Bunbury Football Club teammates from his hospital bed yesterday, on the day he had major surgery on his ruined arms.
South Bunbury's reserves huddled around a mobile phone in the change rooms to hear Mr Pollard before taking on Carey Park in the grand final at Hands Oval.
The emotional call came as a group of shark attack survivors known as Bite Club reached out to Mr Pollard, saying only someone who lived through an attack could know what the 23-year- old Bunbury man was going through.
The South Bunbury players were also shown a letter from Albany man Peter Rothnie, who with his wife Kylie, Esperance locals Ross Tomlin and Dean Gaebler, and paramedic Paul Gaughan played a key role in Mr Pollard's survival at the popular Kelpids beach, 6km east of Esperance, on Thursday.
"I have never seen a more courageous human being and probably never will," Mr Rothnie wrote. "His desire to live another day, his desire to see (girlfriend) Claire, his family and friends and, dare I say it, his footy mates was above and beyond comprehension.
"The amount of determination Sean had to get himself to safety and then the determination he showed to keep calm was simply nothing short of miraculous."
The South Bunbury reserves lost their grand final but hundreds of dollars were raised through the day to help fund Mr Pollard's long road to recovery.
His family told Seven News he had another round of major surgery yesterday after losing an arm and a hand in the attack.
Bite Club member Dave Pearson, who lost part of his arm to a shark while surfing in NSW in 2011, said the first few days dealing with the aftermath of such an attack were "really hard".
"You wake up knowing that life is never going to be the same," he said.
Mr Pearson said a member of the Bite Club's Facebook group had already contacted Mr Pollard's family to offer support.
"Once we've made contact, we just let the family do what they need to do," he said.
"We just let them know 'you're not alone out there'.
"What we've all found is most people who have been in a shark attack want to talk with other survivors … and unfortunately it's something that only someone who has been through it can relate to."
He said Mr Pollard faced an emotional few weeks as he coped with the shock of his injuries but, like other victims, might also find himself return to normal life with the euphoric feeling which came with "being a survivor".
"The thing we tell the family is that he has survived and it's a huge plus," Mr Pearson said.
"Being strong and a footballer, he'll be fighting strong for sure."
Bite Club's Facebook page has been awash with messages of support for Mr Pollard.
Elyse Frankcom, who was attacked while leading a dolphin tour near Garden Island in 2010, wrote: "He (Mr Pollard) has a very hard long road ahead of him.
"We, of course, are all there for him in the Bite Club, welcoming him with open hearts, as soon as he is ready."
