Following further bleeding, he underwent a second brain operation on Sunday. The pressure inside his head is also being monitored with a probe. “I am pleased to say he is doing very, very well,” Dr [Neurosurgeon Nazih Assaad] said. “His immediate family, including his mother, is by his side. He is very well loved. He is awake. He knows where he is. He is talking and is apparently in good spirits, chatting to the nurses. He is interacting appropriately and appears to be thinking sharply.

The artist’s son Johannes told The Australian that while his father “still has a long way to go”, the signs were promising. “I don’t want people to think that he will be bounding out of hospital any time soon,” Johannes said.

WHEN Bill Leak, The Australian‘s award-winning cartoonist, regained consciousness yesterday four days after suffering serious head injuries in a fall, he immediately asked if his drawing hand was still in working order and had somebody fed his “bloody dog”.

It was good news on both fronts. Leak’s right hand, which has produced cartoons and portraits for three decades, was fine. And yes, his neighbour had been taking care of Gus, the dog.

Leak, 52, had been in an induced coma since Saturday night, after he fell 2m from a balcony at adman John Singleton’s home on theNSW central coast. Leak was feeding parrots and cockatoos when he fell.

Yesterday morning, he moved his limbs and shared jokes with relatives and doctors at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital upon waking.

The artist’s son Johannes told The Australian that while his father “still has a long way to go”, the signs were promising. “I don’t want people to think that he will be bounding out of hospital any time soon,” Johannes said.

“But he’s been making jokes, his back and neck are all right, and his drawing hand seems to be OK.

“One of the first things Dad said when he woke up was, `Someone needs to feed my bloody dog’. He also said that he feels like he might need at least another week off work … so he’s returning to normal.”

Neurosurgeon Nazih Assaad said Leak was awake, talking normally and recovering well after two operations to remove a blood clot onthe surface of his brain.

He has been taken off a ventilator but is expected to remain in hospital for at least a month.

“Blood clots on the brain are normally a very dangerous thing to happen; it is certainly life threatening,” Dr Assaad said.

Following further bleeding, he underwent a second brain operation on Sunday. The pressure inside his head is also being monitored with a probe. “I am pleased to say he is doing very, very well,” Dr Assaad said. “His immediate family, including his mother, is by his side. He is very well loved. He is awake. He knows where he is. He is talking and is apparently in good spirits, chatting to the nurses. He is interacting appropriately and appears to be thinking sharply.

“We are very pleased with how he is going this early in the piece.”

Leak’s partner, Lo, his mother, Doreen, his sister Lynne and Johannes were by his side when he regained consciousness yesterday.

Credit: James Madden, John Stapleton