Dean Paul Mercer (24 November 1969 – 28 August 2017) was an Australian sportsman who competed in ironman events.

Career

Mercer was born in

Bulli Bulli may refer to: * Bulli, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of Wollongong ** Bulli FC, a semi-professional football club ** Bulli railway station ** Electoral district of Bulli * Bulli (plant), a species of tree in the family Asteraceae * ...

and raised in

Thirroul Thirroul () is a northern seaside suburb of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Wollongong, Australia. Situated between Austinmer, New South Wales, Austinmer and Bulli, New South Wales, Bulli, it is approximately 13 kilometres north of Wo ...

, both suburbs of Wollongong. Early in his career, Mercer and his brother Darren were coached by their father, John. Mercer became a professional ironman at 15 and competed from 1987 to 2010. He won the Australian open ironman titles in 1989 and 1995, and five New South Wales championships. In 1997 he won the World Oceanman series. He competed in his last Coolangatta Gold aged 40. In 1992, Mercer was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

(OAM) for "service to surf lifesaving", and in 1990 was inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions at

Sydney Olympic Park Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, located 13 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of the City of Parramatta, City of Parramatta Council. It i ...

. At the time of his death Mercer was director of surf sports, and

nippers Nippers are young surf lifesaving, surf lifesavers, usually aged between 5 and 14 years old, in clubs across Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Unlike senior surf lifesavers, the majority of them do not patrol the beaches. The focus for ...

coach, at Kurrawa Surf Club at

Broadbeach, Queensland Broadbeach is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Broadbeach had a population of 6,786 people. Geography The Broadbeach stretch was originally coastal forest. This gradually became sandy plains because of sa ...

a position he held since October 2014.

Private life

Born on 24 November 1969 to Maureen and John Mercer, Mercer grew up in

Thirroul, New South Wales Thirroul () is a northern seaside suburb of the city of Wollongong, Australia. Situated between Austinmer and Bulli, it is approximately 13 kilometres north of Wollongong, and 73 km south of Sydney. It lies between the Pacific Ocean and ...

. Mercer married Kaylene Costello in 1998. In 2003, he married Reen Corbett, an ironwoman competitor in her own right. They later had four boys. In 2013, a magistrates court ordered Mercer to repay almost $700 after stealing bedsheets from a department store. No conviction was recorded. Mercer died after suffering a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

while driving at

Mermaid Waters Mermaid Waters is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mermaid Waters had a population of 13,088 people. Geography Mermaid Waters is primarily a residential suburb, featuring many homes built along artificial ...

on 28 August 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, Dean 1969 births 2017 deaths Australian surf lifesavers Sportspeople from the Gold Coast, Queensland Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia