Dick McGuigan hopes near-fatal shooting can be a ‘message’ for others

Dick McGuigan can look back now on the gunshot that nearly killed him three years ago and laugh.

However, there was nothing to smile about when two armed men stormed the Sunday meat raffle at the Waterboard Bowling Club near Newcastle intent on robbery.

The attackers, Joel Barton and Ryker Jennar, had terrorised staff and patrons at the club for months.

Dick, himself a regular at the club, tried to slow them down by striking up a conversation.

"I said 'God, you must remember me'. I said 'what are you getting mixed up with all this crap for, what do you think you're doing'," he said.

However, the pair absconded with a bag of money, and Dick followed them to try to get the number late of the car they were driving.

Barton then returned and shot Dick once in the stomach on the orders of his accomplice.

"(Jennar) said 'put one in the old guy'," Dick said.

The bullet passed through him and his mates worked frantically to keep him alive.

After 15 rounds of surgery, he is back to full health, and is determined not to let the attack ruin his life.

He has turned his experience into a positive, telling his story to groups of club workers across NSW.