Yeppoon’s Gavin Booth suffers fractured skull in Blackwater assault

A Queensland woman could never have imagined what she would hear when she answered a call from her husband.

Yeppoon's Gavin Booth spent 15 days in Royal Brisbane Hospital after being assaulted in Blackwater in November.

Yeppoon’s Leeann Booth could never have imagined what she would hear when she answered a call from her husband.

Their limited exchange was the first she’d heard of Gavin’s serious assault hours earlier in the carpark of a licensed premises at Blackwater on November 27.

“He said ‘It’s not good, they’re flying me to Brisbane’,” she recalls.

A father of four, Gavin had a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, a perforated eardrum and a broken ankle.

He had spent the night in Emerald Hospital but was being flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital for further treatment.

Leeann flew to Brisbane and was taken aback when she saw Gavin lying in a hospital bed, incoherent, drifting in and out of sleep, and with blood and brain fluid oozing from his brain.

He would spend 15 days there before being discharged and returning home last Thursday.

Leeann said Gavin had no recollection of the assault, which happened as he was leaving his work Christmas party.

A plant operator with mining services provider Thiess, he has worked for 20 years in the industry.

“He was leaving the hotel to go home and some random guy has punched him in the back of the head and knocked him out,” she said.

Gavin Booth has worked for 20 years in the mining industry.

The Booths cannot understand what provoked the attack.

“He’s a lovely guy and really easy to get along with. He’s quiet and keeps to himself for the most part,” Leeann said.

“Everybody loves him out at work.”

One of Gavin’s workmates has set up a GoFundMe page which has raised more than $11,000, prompting a heartfelt message from Leeann.

“We just want to say a big thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We’re so grateful and appreciate everything,” she said.

Leeann said there was a long road ahead but with the support of family and the strong network of friends they’ve built at Yeppoon, they would get through it.

Gavin cannot hear out of his right ear and will have to have regular check-ups to ensure his skull fracture is healing properly.

“It’s something that’s going to take a long time,” Leeann said.

“Gavin can only do 10 minutes of anything and then he has to go and lie down again.

“Christmas is going to be a bit sad, but you hear so many times where these king hits have been fatal, so I’m grateful that he’s still here with us.

“We hope the police catch the person responsible and they are held accountable for their actions.”

A Queensland Police spokeswoman said that investigations into the assault were continuing.