Les Hiddins
| Les Hiddins (aka The Bush Tucker Man) |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
13 August 1946 Brisbane, Queensland |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Australian Army, Television presenter and author |
| Known for | Bushcraft and survival techniques |
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.
As a soldier with the Australian Army, Hiddins did two deployments in South 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 military 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 County 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.
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Wikipedia