12-months after the stroke that turned his life upside down, former YMGCR President Gil Cunningham has made a welcome return to the fairways at Yarra Golf in recent months.

Difficult to miss in his recently refurbished hot pink golf cart, Cunningham, aka ‘The Sly Pig’, has made great progress after a challenging end to 2022.

Cunningham suffered his first stroke in Sydney in August 2022 before enduring three further strokes a month later during surgery to clear a blocked carotid artery.

As a complication of his strokes, Cunningham suffered temporary paralysis to his right side and was also diagnosed with aphasia, a cognitive disorder affecting your ability to communicate with others.

After several months of challenging rehabilitation with physiotherapists and speech pathologists at Melbourne’s Epworth and Wangaratta Hospitals, Cunningham’s speech and movement have steadily improved.

With the support of his wife Jackie, Cunningham is back as a Friday night raffles regular, and is also back hitting his beloved hybrid stingers on the Executive Course with his good mates Barry Bylett, Neil Clarke and Steve Cooper.

While slightly impaired for a few months, Gil’s love for people and an extended conversation has never wavered. If you’re lucky enough to come across his bright pink cart on the course, don’t hesitate to stop by for a chat – just make sure he doesn’t hold up the group behind too long!