Packer whacker

English

Etymology

The name came about when Kerry Packer, a wealthy Australian media mogul, was resuscitated with a defibrillator in 1990 in Sydney after suffering a heart attack. After recovering, Packer donated a large sum to the New South Wales Ambulance Service in order to fit all of its ambulances with portable defibrillators.

Pronunciation
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Noun

Packer whacker (plural Packer whackers)

  1. (Australia, colloquial, informal) A portable defibrillator.
    • 2006, Taking heart, The Bulletin, Issues 6502-6509, page not known,
      Every NSW ambulance now carries the ultimate heart-starter, the Packer Whacker, thanks to a polo field drama and one man′s generosity.
    • 2006, Australian House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): House of Representatives‎, volume 279, page 131:
      It was no wonder the shipping insustry in Australia was flatlining under the Labor Party. You could not resuscitate the Australian shipping industry with a Packer whacker under Labor.
    • 2009, Paul Barry, Who Wants to Be a Billionaire?: The James Packer Story, Easyread Super Large 20pt Edition, page 285,
      On this occasion, however, it was not his portable ‘Packer whacker’, but a device the size of a matchbox implanted in his chest.

References
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