Matt Skeet had been celebrating his 40th birthday with friends and family on Friday night when he headed to Studio 146 for a quiet drink.
But as he left the Stirling Terrace bar at 3am on Saturday morning he was punched in an unprovoked attack.
The father-of-two fell on the pavement and cracked his head on the road, before his attackers allegedly continued to kick and punch him as he lay unconscious on the floor.
Speaking from his hospital bed in Perth today he told 7 News Perth he feared his two children would be left without a father.
“The reactions of other people around me was horrendous, to see my wife like that,” he said.
“Just a sickening sound of my head hitting the concrete.
“Family is the only thing that matters. It could've gone a different way for me... just the thought of my babies not having a dad.”
The father-of-two has bleeding on the brain and a fractured skull. He is suffering from memory loss and has been told he can’t drive after being released from hospital today.
His message to those behind the attack is simple.
“You have got to think twice, you could affect the person’s life so considerably, and their friends and family,” he adds
“You'll find yourself locked away as well and you've got a conscience - you've got to live with that for the rest of your life too."
Remarkably it was one of two violent incidents on the same street in Albany over the weekend.
About 24 hours after Mr Skeet was attacked another man was punched to the face in the early hours - again on Stirling Terrace.
The 26-year-old was approached by a man who was not known to him at about 3am and was knocked to the ground after a punch to the face.
He received injuries to his face, mouth and nose and was also flown to RPH.
Police do not believe the two incidents are connected.
This article originally appeared on PerthNow.
