Glen Cahill says he is ‘extremely lucky’ to be alive after being coward punched outside Hillarys Beach Club

The survivor of an alleged coward punch outside a Hillarys pub on Melbourne Cup day says he is “extremely lucky” to be alive, with the case prompting the State Government to extend the area covered by laws banning violent thugs from party precincts. Glen Cahill, 43, was seriously injured when allegedly set upon outside Hillarys Beach Club as he waited for a rideshare vehicle after a day out with his wife in November. Police allege Matthew Anthony Jennings, 41, struck Mr Cahill to the face, causing him to lose consciousness before hitting his head on the road. He remained in a critical condition for four days before his condition improved. Speaking for the first time since the alleged attack, Mr Cahill told 7NEWS he felt “extremely lucky” that his situation was not worse. He said he was only well enough to return to work last week. He realised that other families, such as those of fatal one-punch victim Giuseppe Raco — whose death sparked Protected Entertainment Precinct laws — and Danny Hodgson, who was left with life-changing injuries — were not so fortunate. “Ever since I’ve been old enough to go to licensed venues it’s been quite prevalent over the years, there’s been a lot of stories of where it’s just gone totally wrong and families have been ripped apart,” he said. “I’m extremely lucky that that wasn’t the case with me. “Even friends that I’ve seen since, they reiterate how lucky you are and the Danny Hodgson case is one that I reference because it’s a very similar incident and we’ve ended up with totally different situations. “I could have been him and I obviously feel for his family. I’m very fortunate to have the outcome that I’ve had.” Mr Cahill said the toughest part of the incident was seeing his wife suffer while he was in hospital. He said he was now grateful for the “simple things in life”. “Getting up and going to work and seeing your kids at the end of the day — they are the things that make you appreciate the things that you have a lot more,” he said. Mr Cahill’s case prompted the State Government to extent the area covered by PEP laws, which allow violent offenders to be banned from precincts such as Northbridge, Perth, Fremantle and Scarborough, to cover Hillarys Beach Club. Hillarys Beach Club manager Jono McCracken welcomed the extension, saying “it keeps the violent people out of venues where they could cause harm”. Mr Cahill’s message to others who were considering acting out with violence is, “their actions can affect someone else’s life and it can affect your own life. It’s just not worth it”.