“That’s just the type of person he is,” his father, Martin Dick, said. “He woke up for the first time on Saturday and was worried about everyone else, not thinking of himself.”

Mr Dick has been keeping a bedside vigil by his son at John Hunter Hospital since the accident. Mr Parker, 23, lost his entire left arm in the explosion, which occurred just after 8pm on Friday.

Apart from the immediate concern for his health, Mr Parker’s family is preparing for what is likely to be a lengthy rehabilitation.

“He has a big battle ahead physically and emotionally to be able get by and deal with this trauma. He still has his whole life ahead of him,” said uncle Neil Parker, who has started a fund-raising effort to go towards medical bills. He said his nephew did not have private health insurance.

Jye Parker lived with his father, who has been the club's caretaker for many years, on-site in the greenkeeper's house.

A regular employee at the Hotel Delany, Mr Parker was helping out at the bowling club, as he had done many times before.

"It's a tragic accident, that's all you can call it," Mr Dick said. "Jye is staying positive at the moment, he is in good spirits. It's an emotional time."

Mr Dick said one of the things Mr Parker would miss most was playing the guitar, a passion he'd had since childhood.

"He's going to miss being able to do so many things but he's still going to have a full life," he said. "He's going to miss playing his guitar and he also loved his DJ-ing.

"It's only early days; everything is blurry for me this weekend, all I am thinking of is my son."

Mr Dick said he had received countless calls from people wishing Mr Parker - who has been described as "popular, social and hardworking" - all the best in his recovery.

"I just want to thank everybody for all the support and love," he said.

A devastated Bar Beach Bowling and Sporting Club chairman, Darryl Lowe, said the accident happened when staff were preparing for a wedding to be held on Saturday. There was some trouble in getting a keg set up.

"[One of the staff members] was trying to get it going and Jye said 'let me do it, I've done hundreds of them'," Mr Lowe said.

Mr Lowe said Mr Parker was in a small room outside the cool room when the tragedy happened.

"The keg just exploded" and "rocked the club on its foundations".

Police, fire and ambulance were at the club within minutes.

Mr Lowe said about 40 or 50 people were in the club at the time and staff and patrons rushed to Mr Parker's aid before help arrived.

Club regular Luke Brown said he was sitting at the bar when an "earth-shaking bang" rang through the club.

"I ran straight for the door of the room and opened it, the lights were out and there was gas everywhere," Mr Brown said. "I know Jye, he was lying there, he didn't look real good."

Mr Brown said he helped drag Mr Parker out of the room, where an off-duty fireman and others took over with tourniquets and towels.

Mr Lowe said Mr Parker was not working, formally, on Friday night, when the keg exploded.

"Jye did his RSA [Responsible Service of Alcohol] course and then started with us when he was 18," he said. "He worked for us for about 18 months and now he's at the Hotel Delany.

"You've got to follow the work. They gave him five shifts a week, which we couldn't, but he still helped out around here and did the occasional shift."

Mr Lowe said Workcover arrived at the club to investigate on Friday night.

The Newcastle Herald was unable to obtain comment from the organisation on Sunday.

The 18-gallon (68-litre) keg and small gas bottle have been taken by authorities.

One staff member told the Herald of fears that the fallout from Mr Parker's accident might be enough to send the club broke, but Mr Lowe said the club was financially sound.

He confirmed that staff had been told recently of a need to "tighten up" but said this related to stock rather than finances.

The Herald reported in 2011 that the club lost almost $130,000 on turnover of $1.2 million in 2009-10, but Mr Lowe said that era was over and the club had turned substantial profits since then.

He said profit fell by $58,000 in the year to June 30 but the club still made a profit of $40,000.

Source: Newcastle Herald