Les Hiddins

Major Les Hiddins of the Australian Army was born in Queensland and was always interested in Aboriginal customs and practices and how those practices helped a people survive in a hostile environment for thousands of years. When he joined the Army he developed this interest into a skill and put it to good use. Learning how to survive in the Australian bush and then to teach others the same skills. He wrote various survival manuals for the Australian Armed forces and added survival notes to the back of maps used by pilots flying over the Australian bush. A natural communicator and enthusiast for his subject he fronted a series of TV programmes, Bush Tucker Man (1987), where he shared his knowledge with the TV audience. These were followed by another series where Les investigated Great Stories of Survival in and around the Australian continent.