NSW: Lion tamers and teachers amongst those honoured

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NSW: Lion tamers and teachers amongst those honoured

By Janine O'Neill

SYDNEY, Aug 11 AAP - There wasn't a second to spare when two lions attacked their trainerin front of a packed family audience at a Lennon Bros Circus show west of Sydney.

If Warren Lennon or James Carroll had hesitated for even an instant lion tamer GeoffreyLennon would likely have been mauled to death during the August 2001 performance at Penrith.

The rescuers, both circus performers, have been awarded national commendations fortheir bravery, an honour they accepted with mixed emotions.

Both remember the attack with vivid clarity.

Warren Lennon believes the lions were being playful, but when one latched on to hisbrother and tasted blood, events turned deadly serious.

He said the lion called Sultan sank his fangs into Geoffrey, and once this happenedthere was the risk others would follow and start "ripping".

Within seconds, Warren and James barged into the cage, and began the struggle to regaincontrol, with Warren shouting commands which one animal obeyed.

While straddling his brother's body, he struck out at the other lion with sticks untilit released its grip.

However, the animals circled and returned.

James, who had never before entered a lion's cage, repeatedly charged at the animals'heads with a stool and helped the injured trainer to safety.

James said there wasn't time to think before acting with the whole thing over in seconds.

"It was all too quick to think ... they were chewing on him," said the trapeze artist,who was on standby outside the cage in case of an emergency such as this.

"It was just instinct. I sometimes do strange things, once when I was about 10 I jumpedinto a swimming pool to save a kid, and I couldn't swim..."

Warren also believes he acted on pure instinct.

"I didn't think about them getting me, I was simply trying to protect my brother," he said.

However, Warren who is also a lion tamer as well as circus manager, said nobody blamed the lions.

"It's not the animals' fault - that's nature," he said.

"One lion jumped up and probably wanted to play, what I feel is he caught my brotherwith his fangs and tasted the blood, and thought, oh geez, I've got something here.

"However, if we were seconds later - they would've killed him."

The lions were retired to an animal farm, and Geoffrey Lennon has taken a break from circus life.

The two rescuers were among 12 people recognised with bravery medals or commendations in NSW.

Primary school teacher Kaye Anderson has been commended for negotiating the releaseof children during a siege at Kootingal Public School, near Tamworth in northern NSW,in April last year.

A man armed with a knife stormed a classroom and threatened to set off a bomb unlesshis orders were followed.

Mrs Anderson worked to calm the frightened children and negotiated the release of somestudents before police arrived, entered the room through a window and overpowered theman.

Teenager Drew Divers, from Dundas in Sydney's north-west, was commended for rescuinga disabled man from his burning car at Ermington in January 2001.

AAP jo/nf/mo/de

KEYWORD: BRAVERY NSW (PIX AVAILABLE)