John Leckie in his role as a Centennial Parklands ranger. Image supplied.
It takes a special horseman to personify the unique equestrian hub that is steeped in Sydney’s riding history, and that horseman is Milton John Leckie.
Centennial Parklands is an equestrian location like no other. Stables, riding schools, open and covered arenas, sand rolls, wash bays and bridle paths – all just moments from Sydney’s CBD.
Rich with history, this special space has changed and grown since the early years. Centennial Parklands – which includes Moore Park Showgrounds and Centennial Park – was the site of the Royal Easter Show for 116 years from 1882. And during World War Two it was the home of the Army’s 12th Australian Camp Hospital (some of the patients carved their names into the feed sheds which are still on the grounds today).
This land had also been used in 1919 when a temporary emergency hospital was established during the influenza epidemic.
For decades the stabling facilities were only used during the Royal and, occasionally, for a major breed show. In the mid-’70s the governing body decided to allow permanent stabling and Milton John Leckie was one of those instrumental in creating this change.
John Leckie, with his feed trolley he used when providing agistment and livery services to the boarders at Centennial Park. Image supplied.
John – he never uses his first name – has recently retired from providing agistment and livery service to the boarders. Now, at 87, he shares some thoughts and memories with Equestrian Life: his decades with the horses and the 26 years as a Centennial Park ranger.
LAST OF THE MOUNTIES
“I was the last of the mounted ones; after 2000 they were in cars,” says John who, as a young horseman, had come to Sydney to work as a strapper in the late ’50s. Brought up on a farm outside Ungarie in the NSW Central West, he was riding a pony at three and won his first show ribbon at five. “My love for horses has always been there.”
He speaks fondly of two black horses he rode during his patrols. “One was named Ranger; he placed second in a side-saddle class at the Royal with a young lady. He also appeared on stage in an opera! Shahala, the mare I had, was quite a handful. A lovely type and successful in hack and ridden events but was highly strung. Often she’d win a class then throw away the championship.”
One of John’s show horses, co-owned by John Paget and Don Miller, was Brahms – “a superbly conditioned and presented Thoroughbred; very supple and moving forward with distinction”, commented an equestrian reporter of the day.
“Needless to say,
it was happy hour
every afternoon!”
John Paget on John Leckie’s show horse, Brahms. Image supplied.
“We showed him for John from 1980 to 1987,” recalls Royal Show judge Paget. “He was then sold to New Zealand. Each year John used to set up our tack room at Sydney Show – the fridge stocked with beer and food. Needless to say, it was happy hour every afternoon!”
Some of those John met when on patrol appeared to be having a happy time of their own – a time more suited to the privacy of home as opposed to a van in a park!
‘SOME OF THE THINGS I’VE SEEN’
“I can’t go into too much detail about some of the things I’ve seen,” says John, “except to say there have been couples starkers in cars, suicides, lost children, a body in the pond and groups up to no good in the bushes!
“Today the rangers don’t stop and talk to visitors, whereas my colleagues and I were there for the public. We’d chat to the people and the kids would pat the horses.
“Before the stabling became available all year-round, local riders would saddle up nearby and come down to exercise in the park. There was also an area on site for float parking and people from more distant suburbs would drive in their horses.
John Leckie as a Centennial Parklands ranger riding the mare Shahala, chatting with park visitors. Image supplied.
“One of those was rodeo rider Robin Yates, the western saddle maker from Sans Souci in Sydney’s south. He and his roping horses loved it.”
John has cared for thousands of different types, from recreational mounts to international performance horses. “I do like a good Thoroughbred; and warmbloods these days have undergone a big improvement. I remember when they looked like a cross between a coarse quarter horse and a draught!”
He’s not too keen on Friesians: “To be quite honest I wouldn’t have one as a gift!” Ponies appeal but he acknowledges the differences. “I was judging a class in which there were four English ones and the rest were Australian. I didn’t know how to judge them and it really upset me. I confronted the president and told him he couldn’t put them against each other. The show needed to hold separate classes for the two types.”
Broadly speaking, as far as riders go, John feels those from yesteryear were often more natural. “And I don’t care how much they paid for their saddles today, many will never be top show riders for as long as their butts point to the ground.”
FONDNESS FOR BAREBACK
Not surprisingly he hates “bling” and exaggerated knee rolls. “I like a good, plain leather bridle; and I’d like to see more people riding bareback when they’re training – but they’d have to do it privately, it’s not allowed at the centre.
“Of course, much has changed since 1974 when permanent stabling was introduced and my first clients arrived – Maryann Bonett and her twin sister, Josephine.” He had seen them riding regularly in the park when he was patrolling.
“John told us about his new boarding service which was ideal,” remembers Josephine. “At the time our horses were stabled in Randwick and we had to ride on long busy roads to get to the park. It was much safer to be with him. Costs ranged from $21 to $27 per week depending on what he paid for feed; eventually he made it a standard $25. It’s a lot more today!
Josephine Bonett was one of John Leckie’s first clients at Centennial Park in 1974. Image supplied.
STABLES ALWAYS IMMACULATE
“His stables were always immaculate with plenty of bedding. He’d arrive at 4.30 each morning and feed, muck out, then off to his job as a ranger. During his break he’d return to give the horses their lunch and pick up manure in the stables. Then back at the end of the day for evening feeding and mucking out.
“When John retired as a ranger he spent most of the day at the stables,” Josephine continues. “He was always immaculately dressed and his boots always shiny. He’d polish them with old pantyhose which he’d get from female clients!”
John catching up with boarders at a recent party. Image by Rona von Stein.
“A horseman in every
sense of the word…”
Another job John had was as a clerk of the course during the Sydney Royal. “One time he rode my horse Napoleon,” says Josephine. Her big grey was a highly photogenic tractable gelding who had featured in many photo shoots and commercials, one of which was as Chester, the Wattyl paint horse. He had also starred in an episode of ABC TV’s Horse Talk series in a side-saddle segment.
“More than 50 years have passed since John first cared for our horses,” says Josephine. “We will never forget him – a horseman in every sense of the word.” EQ
Related articles
Tucked away in the lush green embrace of Sydney’s iconic Centennial Parklands, you’ll find a world that moves to the gentle rhythm of hoofbeats. Centennial Equestrian isn’t just a riding school – it’s a rare urban sanctuary where horses, riders, and the bustle of the city meet in harmony.
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman were the human heartthrobs in Baz Luhrmann’s lavish epic Australia, but discover who the real four-legged stars were in our Horses in the Movies series.