Stephen beat the odds to overcome the ordeal, which has a survival rate of less than five per cent.

A member of the Cessnock Pigeon Club, Stephen was on his way to train his birds in Pokolbin in preparation for a major competition when the heart attack happened. 

Shortly after leaving his home he blacked out behind the wheel, crashing into a parked car.

Fortunately for Stephen, a number of local residents quickly rushed to his aid performing CPR on him until paramedics arrived. 

Stephen would go on to spend four days in intensive care and two weeks in total in hospital.

He also had to have surgery to implant a defibrillator, in an effort to help restore his heart to a normal, effective rhythm.

But showing where his heart truly lied, Stephen said that his first thought when he woke up in hospital was what had happened to his pigeons, which were in the back seat of his car at the time of the crash. 

Fortunately like Stephen, the birds were unharmed in the accident and after police released them from their cages they returned to their home.

After a lengthy recovery, Stephen said that he is now fit and well again and happy to be back doing what he loves most – racing pigeons.

Now 50, Stephen has been involved with the sport since he was just a child, after his late father Rex Bailey introduced him to it.

Back then he said pigeon racing was a spectacle sport that would draw crowds similar to today’s local rugby league derbies.

Stephen currently has more than 70 birds which he races and said that a lot of people don’t realise just how much of a remarkable animal they are.

“It is just like any other sport and a lot more goes into it than people realise,” he said.

“We have sprint pigeons, middle distance pigeons, and marathon pigeons. 

“It is a lot like horse racing.”

The morning of a race the pigeons are collected from race clubs all over the Hunter and then transported to a release point. 

Stephen said that races can involve over 1000 birds at one time being released and that it comes down to their natural instincts for them to work their way back to their home.

“A pigeon can travel over 800 metres a minute – they are real athletes,” he said.

“They won’t all make it back because there are predators which can be disheartening.”

Never one to let a race pass him by, even when Stephen was in hospital recovering he still managed to organise for his birds to race.

“My attack happened right in the crunch time of the season,” he said. 

“I was leading the yearly point score up until that point.

“Luckily I had friends take care of the birds for me.”

On the anniversary of his attack, Stephen would like to thank the “guardian angels” Philippa Wellard, Leigh Stokes and Allana Wilson who all came to his rescue on that day. 

“Without them I would not be here and I think about that every day,” he said.