Les Hiddins
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Major Leslie John (Les) Hiddins OAM (born August 13, 1946 in Brisbane, Queensland), aka "The Bush Tucker Man", is a retired Australian Army soldier and war veteran, who is best known for his love of the Australian bush. Hiddins is recognised by his distinctively modified Akubra sombrero and big grin.
As a soldier with the Australian Army, Hiddins did two tours of duty in Vietnam between 1966 and 1968, the first as a forward scout in the infantry. In 1987 he was awarded a Defence Fellowship to research survival in northern Australia. He was the principal author of the Australian Army's Combat Survival manual (1987) and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (AM) in 1987.
This research turned into a hit TV series The Bush Tucker Man. The series involves Hiddins driving around in a Land Rover Defender 110 with his trademark hat, finding and describing native Australian bush food or "Bush Tucker". Les appeared in two ABC TV series of Bush Tucker Man, and the series Bush Tucker Man - Stories of Survival. He also appeared in the TV documentaries Pandora - in the Wake of the Bounty and The Batavia. His other publications are Bush Tucker Man - Stories of Exploration and Survival (1996), Bush Tucker Man - Tarnished Heroes (1997), Explore Wild Australia with the Bush Tucker Man (1999), Bush Tucker Fieldguide (2002). In 2000 Les published four books specifically for children: The Coral Coast, The Top End, The Tropical Rainforest, and The Living Desert. He has released two CD-ROMs, From the Rainforest to Cape York and From Arnhem Land to the Kimberley Ranges. The Australian National Museum in Canberra has a Bush Tucker Man display with some of his original bush gear.
Hiddins retired from the Army in 1989 with the rank of Major but continued to serve with the Army Reserve until 2001, working with Indigenous Australian communities in northern Australia.
Hiddins and the Chain of Ponds Winery released the distinctive Bush Tucker Man wines in 2002.
Since 2001 Hiddins has been at the forefront of establishing wilderness retreats for war Veterans. "Pandanus Park", the flagship for these retreats, is a parcel of Normanby River frontage on "Kalpowar Station", adjoining Lakefield National Park in Cape York.
In 2007, Hiddins is enjoying his retirement, still bringing the Aussie bush to others through re-runs globally of the Bush Tucker Man series. He is currently writing a new book on the Top End, and continuing his research into the early Dutch settlers of Australia.
Hiddins' official biography is on the Pandanus Park website. (see External Links, below.)
Contact Les Hiddins through the Pandanus Park webmaster.
Ray Mears made a BBC programme about and with him, shown on BBC Two in June 2008 as part of his Ray Mears Goes Walkabout series.
[edit] See also
- The Bush
- Bush tucker
- Rüdiger Nehberg, Sir Vival
