Tragic Death Of Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon
A parachute training accident gone wrong on March 6th at the RAAF Base in Richmond resulted in the tragic death of Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon, following injuries sustained during the incident.
The 33-year old Jack Fitzgibbon was the son of former Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, and the soldier had recently become a member of the Special Operations Command in what was described as his ‘dream job’.
Though it is not currently clear what caused the parachuting accident at present, three independent investigations into the incident are underway that are hoping to prevent another accident from happening again. The wider Australian Defence Force has halted all parachuting training exercises while investigations are active.
Acting Special Operations Commander Brigadier James Kidd addressed a press conference about the incident on March 7th, providing a statement about the Lance Corporal to those in attendance: “Jack was a much loved and respected soldier within the 2nd Commando Regiment, which is part of the Special Operations Command in the Army. Jack was loved for his courage and known for his sense of humour and his service to the country.
“Jack had served his country on operations abroad and also closer to home, serving with country and local communities as part of natural disaster responses.
Defence has initiated a formal investigation into this incident as we seek to learn how we can strengthen our processes, but we acknowledge that military training is inherently risky, and we remain committed to constantly training at the highest standards to achieve the level of excellence that we know our nation demands of us. Nonetheless, that investigation is underway and we’ll be able to provide you some further information in due course.”
Brigadier Kidd also presented a statement from Joel Fitzgibbon on behalf of the wider family, which said:
“We are devastated and heartbroken by the loss of our wonderful Jack. Serving in the Special Forces was Jack’s dream job, and we take some comfort from the fact that he died serving his nation in the uniform of the Australian Defence Force.
Jack was a dedicated, highly skilled and courageous soldier. He was an experienced parachutist. Our lives will never be the same without Jack, but we will always remain proud of him and his many achievements.”
The funeral for Lance Corporal Fitzgibbon was held in Cessnock on Monday March 18th, which was attended by hundreds of people including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Family members and fellow soldiers shared memories of the fallen soldier, remembering him for his genuine, fun-loving attitude and strong sense of mateship.
Our thoughts are with Jack’s family and friends in these difficult times.
