Horsing around

No horseplay: LCpl Mick O’Leary in green.

LCpl Mick O’Leary as the ACT Brumbies’ beloved mascot Brumby Jack.

By David Sibley

NEVER look a gift horse in the mouth, or in the Red Berets’ case, Brumby Jack.

For Army newspaper can reveal that there are two Brumby Jacks – and LCpl Mick O’Leary, PTS, is one of them.

The Red Beret jumped into Canberra Stadium as Brumby Jack – the starring role in the skydiving team’s grand entrance to the Super 12 match between the Brumbies and NSW Waratahs on April 16.

Dressed as the mascot of the Brumbies, the most successful Australian Super 12 provincial rugby side, he landed in tandem with WO2 Ken Stone.

Until now, it’s been assumed that there was only one Brumby Jack – indeed, this reporter saw Brumby Jack singing with a local rugby choir just half-an-hour before he descended from the heavens.

It was the second time LCpl O’Leary had donned the horse costume at a Brumbies game in the past two years. For the jump into Canberra Stadium, he had to slip into the equine outfit at Nowra for the flight to the ACT.

The team of five Red Berets jumped at 6000 feet above the stadium, looking for the red smoke flare billowing up from the field to indicate the drop zone.

Team leader Maj Mark Ross, with the Australian National Flag, Sgt Matt Piper, with the Army flag, and Sgt Scott Case jumped five seconds before the tandem of WO2 Stone and LCpl O’Leary.

This was the minimum height at which the team could jump safely, given the fact two of the parachutists were in a tandem rig – and one of them was dressed as a four-legged beast without a head. That’s right – the horse’s head was strapped to the front of the tandem harness, giving LCpl O’Leary 10 seconds, falling at 190 to 210km/h, to unstrap it before the parachute deployed at 5000 feet.

With four jumps in the suit, not surprisingly he sounded nonchalant about the process. “It’s not a drama – it’s quite comfortable to jump with.”

The Red Berets all landed safely, although one of them almost rearranged some seating in the northern bowl area of the stadium.

After landing, LCpl O’Leary unhooked himself from WO2 Stone and showed off his interpretation of Brumby Jack’s lovable antics. He then left the field to allow the other Brumby Jack, waiting in the tunnel of the Mal Meninga Stand, to emerge and continue cantering around.

The Brumby Jack suit is the only animal character LCpl O’Leary has been required to portray.

“The suit is quite hot and thick, it’s almost like wearing a pelt,” he said.

And the reason he is the Red Beret with one of the more unusual taskings in the Army – only someone compact (he is 166cm at 65kg) can fit comfortably into the outfit.

For LCpl O’Leary, who is Section 2IC Airborne Pl, Parachute Training Wing at PTS, being Brumby Jack is a side-benefit to being a Red Beret.

“I love parachuting – I love my job,” he said.

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