School is presented with defibrillator after a pupil assisted his dad in saving a life

Mariam Ghaemi

Published: 1:42 PM December 14, 2018 Updated: 6:10 PM October 11, 2020

The handover of the defibrillator to Thurlow Primary School. The picture includes Garry Kerr and his son Ellis, the Mayor of St Edmundsbury Margaret Marks and the High Sheriff of Suffolk George Vestey Picture: ST JOHN AMBULANCE - Credit: ST JOHN AMBULANCE

A piece of life-saving equipment has been presented to a primary school after a pupil supported his dad in saving a former Olympic boxer’s life.

Last year Garry Kerr and his son Ellis, from Haverhill, were playing golf at a local course when they came to the rescue of Mick Carter - who represented Great Britain as a bantamweight in the 1968 Mexico Summer Olympics - who had collapsed on the ground.

Mick had suffered a cardiac arrest and Garry performed CPR while Ellis ran to get help. After 20 minutes a paramedic had arrived and a defibrillator was used to restart Mick’s heart.

Garry - who won a St John Ambulance award alongside Ellis for their heroics - had been fundraising for a defibrillator at Ellis’ school, Thurlow Primary, but award sponsors Zoll stepped in to provide the equipment.

It has now been presented to the school at an event including the Mayor of St Edmundsbury, Margaret Marks, and the High Sheriff of Suffolk George Vestey.

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Previously, Garry said: “I gave the CPR and it went on for 20 minutes. I can remember looking down at Mick and thinking ‘this is not going to end how I want it to end’.

“I remember saying to him under my breath ‘come on, I’m not giving up’.”