Les Hiddins
Encyclopedia
Major
Leslie James (Les) Hiddins AM
(born 13 August 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 and knowledge of the Australian bush. Hiddins is recognised by his distinctively modified Akubra
hat and big grin.
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 Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1987.
This research turned into the TV series The Bush Tucker Man. The series involves Hiddins driving around in a Land Rover Perentie
, then in later episodes a Defender 110 with his trademark hat, finding and describing native Australian bush food or "Bush Tucker". Hiddins 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 Hiddins 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 Peninsula
and From Arnhem Land
to the Kimberley Ranges
. The National Museum of Australia
in Canberra
has a Bush Tucker Man display with some of his original bush gear.
As a part of this research, Hiddins was introduced to the Kakadu plum
(Terminalia ferdinandiana) by the Aborigines, who had used the plant for thousands of years. He sent the fruit to be analysed, and it was found to have the highest concentration of Vitamin C of any known natural substance in the world.
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 Peninsula
.
On 28 March 2008 Hiddins was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science by James Cook University’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Information Technology:
In 2009, Hiddins is enjoying his retirement, still bringing the Aussie bush to others through re-runs globally of the Bush Tucker Man series.
Ray Mears made a BBC programme about and with him, shown on BBC Two
in June 2009 as part of his Ray Mears Goes Walkabout series.
Episode 1: Arnhem Land (Aborigines of Ngukurr, NT)
Episode 2: The Wet in Port Keats (Northwest Northern Territory in the Wet Season)
Episode 3: Desert (Desert Country)
Episode 4: Prince Regent Gorge (Heart of the Kimberley)
Episode 5: Rain Forest (Rainforest at Iron Range)
Episode 6: Coastal (Northern Queensland Coastline)
Episode 7: Doomadgee (Gulf Country)
Episode 8: Aurukun (West Coast of Cape York)
Episode 1: Wet Season
Episode 2: East To West
Episode 3: Kimberley
Episode 4: Top End
Episode 5: Wildman
Episode 6: Coastal Story
Episode 7: Desert Story
Episode 1: The Coffee Royal Affair
Episode 2: The Cannibal Convict
Episode 3: The Great Misadventure
Episode 4: The Best of Them All
Episode 5: The Dutch Settlement
Episode 6: Gold Fever
Episode 7: The Passionate Prussian
Episode 8: Into The Vilest Country
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Leslie James (Les) Hiddins AM
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 13 August 1946 in Brisbane, Queensland), aka "The Bush Tucker Man" is a retired Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
soldier and war veteran, who is best known for his love and knowledge of the Australian bush. Hiddins is recognised by his distinctively modified Akubra
Akubra
Akubra is an Australian brand of bush hat, whose wide-brimmed styles are a distinctive part of Australian culture, especially in rural areas. The name is believed to be derived from an Aboriginal word for head covering....
hat and big grin.
Biography
As a soldier with the Australian Army, Hiddins did two tours of duty in VietnamVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
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 Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1987.
This research turned into the TV series The Bush Tucker Man. The series involves Hiddins driving around in a Land Rover Perentie
Land Rover Perentie
The Land Rover Perentie is a vehicle in use by the Australian Army, produced in Australia and based on the Land Rover Defender 110. It was introduced in 1987 to replace the ageing fleet of Series 2A and 3 Land Rovers, and is still in service...
, then in later episodes a Defender 110 with his trademark hat, finding and describing native Australian bush food or "Bush Tucker". Hiddins appeared in two ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
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 Hiddins 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 Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
and From Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
to the Kimberley Ranges
Kimberley region of Western Australia
The Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
. The National Museum of Australia
National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
has a Bush Tucker Man display with some of his original bush gear.
As a part of this research, Hiddins was introduced to the Kakadu plum
Terminalia ferdinandiana
Terminalia ferdinandiana, also called the gubinge, billygoat plum, Kakadu plum or murunga is a flowering plant in the family Combretaceae, native to Australia, widespread throughout the tropical woodlands from northwestern Australia to eastern Arnhem Land.Its vitamin C concentration may be as high...
(Terminalia ferdinandiana) by the Aborigines, who had used the plant for thousands of years. He sent the fruit to be analysed, and it was found to have the highest concentration of Vitamin C of any known natural substance in the world.
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
Normanby River
The Normanby River is a major river in northern Queensland, located on the edge of the Wet Tropics and flowing in a generally north-northwestward direction through seasonally flooded savanna grassland to Princess Charlotte Bay about 150 kilometres from Cooktown....
frontage on "Kalpowar Station", adjoining Lakefield National Park
Lakefield National Park
Lakefield is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1,707 km northwest of Brisbane and 340 km north-west of Cairns by road, on Cape York Peninsula. At 5,370 km2 Lakefield is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1,707 km northwest of Brisbane and 340 km north-west of...
in Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
.
On 28 March 2008 Hiddins was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science by James Cook University’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Information Technology:
"in recognition for his outstanding and distinguished contribution to Australia and the northern Queensland community through his work on the ABC TV series Bush Tucker Man, his time in the defence force (including two tours of duty) where he worked with indigenous communities and establishing a bush retreat in Cape York for Vietnam veterans to enjoy."
In 2009, Hiddins is enjoying his retirement, still bringing the Aussie bush to others through re-runs globally of the Bush Tucker Man series.
Ray Mears made a BBC programme about and with him, shown on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in June 2009 as part of his Ray Mears Goes Walkabout series.
TV programmes
Series:- Bush Tucker Man, Series One (1988 - 8 episodes, released on DVD in 2004) - ABC
Episode 1: Arnhem Land (Aborigines of Ngukurr, NT)
Episode 2: The Wet in Port Keats (Northwest Northern Territory in the Wet Season)
Episode 3: Desert (Desert Country)
Episode 4: Prince Regent Gorge (Heart of the Kimberley)
Episode 5: Rain Forest (Rainforest at Iron Range)
Episode 6: Coastal (Northern Queensland Coastline)
Episode 7: Doomadgee (Gulf Country)
Episode 8: Aurukun (West Coast of Cape York)
- Bush Tucker Man, Series Two (1990 - 7 episodes, released on DVD 1 October 2009) - ABC
Episode 1: Wet Season
Episode 2: East To West
Episode 3: Kimberley
Episode 4: Top End
Episode 5: Wildman
Episode 6: Coastal Story
Episode 7: Desert Story
- Bush Tucker Man - Stories of Survival (1996 - 8 episodes, released on DVD in 2004) - ABC
Episode 1: The Coffee Royal Affair
Episode 2: The Cannibal Convict
Episode 3: The Great Misadventure
Episode 4: The Best of Them All
Episode 5: The Dutch Settlement
Episode 6: Gold Fever
Episode 7: The Passionate Prussian
Episode 8: Into The Vilest Country
Books
- Bush Tucker Man Series
- 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)
- Children's Books
- The Coral Coast
- The Top End
- The Tropical Rainforest
- The Living Desert
See also
- Mors KochanskiMors KochanskiMors Kochanski is a Canadian bushcraft and wilderness survival instructor, naturalist and author.The Kochanski family immigrated to Canada from Poland in 1938 and Mors was born two years later , the fifth of six children. His mother named him "Morris", but because of a misunderstanding due to her...
- Richard ProennekeRichard ProennekeRichard Louis "Dick" Proenneke was a naturalist who lived alone in the high mountains of Alaska at a place called Twin Lakes...
- Les StroudLes StroudLes Stroud is a Canadian musician, filmmaker, and survival expert best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series Survivorman...
- in SurvivormanSurvivormanSurvivorman is a Canadian-produced television program, broadcast in Canada on the Outdoor Life Network , and internationally on Discovery Channel and Science Channel... - Ray MearsRay MearsRaymond Paul "Ray" Mears is an English woodsman, instructor, author and TV presenter. His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques, and he is best known for the TV series Ray Mears' Bushcraft, Ray Mears' World of Survival, Extreme Survival, Survival with Ray Mears, Wild Britain with...
English survival expert - Rüdiger NehbergRüdiger NehbergRüdiger Nehberg, also known as 'Sir Vival', is a German human rights activist, author and survival expert who introduced survival training to Europe...
(Sir Vival) - Bear GryllsBear GryllsEdward Michael "Bear" Grylls is an English adventurer, writer and television presenter. He is best known for his television series Man vs. Wild, known as Born Survivor in the United Kingdom...
- in Man vs. WildMan vs. WildMan vs. Wild, also called Born Survivor: Bear Grylls, Ultimate Survival, or Survival Game, is a survival television series hosted by Bear Grylls on the Discovery Channel. In the United Kingdom, the series was originally shown on Channel 4, but later series were broadcast on Discovery Channel UK...
External links
- Bush tucker bibliography - links
- Bush Tucker Man-8 Classic Stories Of Survival With Les Hiddins (1996)
- Explore Wild Australia with the Bush Tuckerman By Les Hiddins
- Gone Bush: Bush Tucker Man Les Hiddins
- Les Hiddins (aka Bush Tucker Man)
- Hiddins' authorised biography on the Pandanus Park website
- Explore Australia Bush Tucker Books