Six defibrillators donated to Denmark to commemorate Perth father-of-two Andy Rutherford

Six new defibrillators will be installed along the Denmark coast to commemorate the passing of Perth father-of-two Andy Rutherford, thanks to donations from the sales of boardshorts. Mr Rutherford died of cardiac arrest after collapsing at Elephant Rocks, Denmark, in April, 2023. The 48-year-old could not be saved despite the efforts of his first-aid-trained friends who performed CPR, the use of a community defibrillator and the fast response of St John WA Denmark volunteers. In honour of his memory, South Beach Boardies owner Kirsten Lopez teamed up with Mr Rutherford’s wife Renae and their two sons, Maxton and Fraser, to create specially designed board shorts. The resulting sales proceeds paid for six new defibrillators, two of which have been installed at Lights Beach and Madfish Bay, with another four to be installed along the Denmark coastline. Ms Rutherford said she could not thank South Beach Boardies enough for helping to honour her husband. “The boys love seeing people wearing the Djiti-Djiti boardies, especially people we don’t know,” she said. “I believe it has also really helped them navigate such a traumatic part of their life; being involved in something so incredibly generous and positive has been really valuable. “It is important for me to once again thank the amazing SJWA Denmark volunteers and special thanks to everyone who has purchased these gorgeous shorts so we can install new defibrillators in regional WA.” The boardshorts combine Mr Rutherford’s love of brightly-coloured board shorts and djiti-djitis, the Noongar word for willy wagtails. The donated defibrillators bring the number of publicly available defibrillators in WA to 3000 with more than 340 located in the Great Southern. SJWA chief preventative officer Megan O’Donnell said the growth of the SJWA Community First Responder Network relied on the efforts and generosity of community members. “Currently only one in 10 people survive a cardiac arrest and we need everyone’s help to increase this number,” she said. “Our data shows that someone is three times more likely to survive a cardiac arrest with bystander CPR and if a community automated external defibrillator is used before an ambulance arrives. “We want to make AEDs as frequent and visible as possible across our State and we need everyone’s help to do that. “Even if it is a few dollars — every donation adds up to saving lives.” SJWA social sustainability manager Angela Robins said the donation was an inspiring example of a community rallying behind a beautiful family. “Without the generous donations from the public, including Andy’s family and friends, these Denmark defibrillators and their potential to save lives would not exist,” she said. “We hope this community-led fundraising initiative is the first of many that will help strengthen the Community First Responder Network across regional WA.”