‘I just ripped the pants off and went for a quick little dip’: Port Noarlunga single dad saves drowning roo
Harley Brook has gone viral after his beach roo rescue caught the attention of Facebook users … for more than one reason.
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The daughter of the man who leapt into the ocean at Port Noarlunga to save a kangaroo from drowning says he is a “hero” while her humble dad brushes off his new-found fame.
On Friday morning, eight-year-old Indigo was the first of the pair to spot the struggling Skippy and alerted her dad, Harley Brook to the situation.
“I was plaiting (Indigo’s) hair on the beach when (she) spotted a kangaroo and he looked a bit lost and he kind of went into the construction area and he got spooked and he ended up straight into the water,” Mr Brook said.
“Pretty much as soon as he jumped in the water a solid set of waves rolled through and gave him a pretty good pumping
“It didn’t take long and he kind of literally started to drown and sink below the surface really quickly.”
As a wildlife enthusiast, Mr Brook had seen kangaroos swimming at the beach before but once he realised this boomer was in trouble he quickly sprang into action, stripping off his clothes and running into the sea.
“I just ripped the pants off and went for a quick little dip,” Mr Brook said.
“By the time I got out to him, he was actually below the surface – underwater.
With the help of Mr Brook, who works as a gardener and fisherman, the rescued roo managed to escape the water and hopped off into the sand dunes.
“If I ever see him when I go for a run, hopefully he’ll stop and we can kick back and hang out,” Mr Brook laughed.
Pictures of Mr Brook’s life saving swim quickly made their way to Facebook, with the post attracting attention and praise from social media users for more than one reason.
“Two good looking roos,” one cheeky commenter wrote.
“There’s going to be a whole bunch of sunbathing ladies at the beach tomorrow morning,” another added, followed by a laughing emoji.
While Mr Brook is not a Facebook user, he said some of the comments had given him a “bit of a laugh”.
“I heard there’s a few hot grannies down the beach,” Mr Brooks joked.
“Its pretty funny, I’m a single dad full time so … yeah it’s kind of all a bit funny.
“I just can’t believe I had to put my zebra underwear on, to be honest, on that day … a part from that it was an ideal morning.”
The Port Noarlunga local said he has always been “massively into wildlife” and did not hesitate to assist a native in need.
“Surfing, fishing and wildlife, that’s us. That’s what we do,” he said.
“I’ve been barred by stingrays and attacked by sharks and we do a lot of stuff to do with animals.
“So it was a pretty normal day to be honest.
“Getting barrelled with a kangaroo – that’s as good as life gets,” he said.
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Originally published as ‘I just ripped the pants off and went for a quick little dip’: Port Noarlunga single dad saves drowning roo
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