Tasmania Bush Summit 2023: Flinders Island man Andrew Jackson survives heart surgery involving five bypasses

Andrew Jackson was enjoying a quiet retirement on Flinders Island when he started feeling “very, very tired”. What came next was a remarkable story of survival.

Retired Melbourne solicitor Andrew Jackson moved to Flinders Island in 2004 to enjoy the quite life in a home he built overlooking a river.

But his relaxed lifestyle suddenly became far more hectic than expected after a trip to the locum doctor at Whitemark in May 2017.

“I just remember feeling very, very tired,” Mr Jackson recalls.

“He wanted me to see a cardiologist and there’s none on the Island. Fortunately there was visiting specialist providing care for the local Indigenous community who advised I go to Launceston for a stress test.”

Mr Jackson said he failed that test when they found five blockages in his heart.

“I remember saying to cardiologist Geoff Evans: ‘This feels like a bloody death sentence’.

“He said: ‘Not if I can help it mate.’ ”

Mr Jackson was flown to Melbourne where he underwent open-heart surgery involving five bypasses.

Flinders Island residents Andrew Jackson, Pauline Blyth and Rodney Pitchford use the gym and equipment supplied by Royal Flying Doctor Service funding.

Six years later Mr Jackson is looking forward to celebrating his 83rd birthday later this month and says he’s fighting fit.

A big part of his rehabilitation has been made possible through Royal Flying Doctor Service funding which has supplied gym equipment, vital for his recovery and ongoing health

Mr Jackson attends the gym twice a week alongside other residents either recovering or preparing for surgery.

“I feel incredibly lucky,” Mr Jackson said.

The RFDS at Flinders Island. Picture: NewsCorp.

He said his community was aware of the important role the RFDS plays in health care for islanders.

“The support for the RFDS is extraordinary. We put in a lot of money to maintain and support the service,” he said.

“In an emergency we know that the RFDS is on call around the clock.

“Universally people feel very safe here.”

To join Tasmania’s Bush Summit at 8am on Wednesday August 16 at Blundstone Arena, register your interest to attend or watch the live stream.