Genres

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 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 Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1987.

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.