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Mike (1941– September 14, 2009[1]) and Mal Leyland (born 1945), also known as The Leyland Brothers, were Australian explorers and documentary film-makers, best known for their popular television show, Ask the Leyland Brothers. The show ran on Australian television from 1976 until 1984 [2].

Early Life

When Mike was eight and Mal was five they migrated with their parents from England to Newcastle, New South Wales.[3]

File:Leyland Bros with Teare.jpg
Mike (middle) and Mal Leyland (right), with Trevor Teare, after arriving in Sydney following a 5000 mile sea journey.

In 1956 Mike won a trip to the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne from a cartoon drawing competition, and his father bought him a 16mm movie camera to take along.[4]

Media Career

By the age of 21 Mike was a news cameraman at NBN and at age 18 Mal was working as a cadet at Newcastle's now defunct newspaper The Sun [5]

Their show, Ask the Leyland Brothers, ran on Australian television from 1976 to 1980, and again from 1983 to 1984.[2]. The show often provided Australian viewers with their first look at outback Australia.

Honours

In 1980 the brothers were awarded the MBE for services to the film industry.[6]

Leyland Brothers World and Bankruptcy

In November 1990 the Leyland Brothers opened the theme park Leyland Brothers World, on a 40 ha property at Bundabah on the Pacific Highway north of Newcastle, New South Wales.[7] It included a 1/40 scale replica of Uluru,[8] as well as amusement rides, playground, roadhouse, museum and a 144 student capacity bush camp.[9] In a 1997 article in the Sunday Age, Mike Leyland said that the initial AU$1 million loan blew out due to rain during construction and a 27% interest rate.[3] In July 1992 Chris Palmer of BDO Nelson was appointed receiver and manager of the park when the Leyland Brothers company failed to meet its loan commitment to the Commonwealth Bank.[7] Auctioneers Colliers Jardine estimated the yearly attendance of the park to be about 400,000 people, with 10,000 students for the bush camp.[9] After an auction held by the receiver on November 26 1992 the theme park was sold for $800,000,[7] and continues to trade successfully as the Great Aussie Bushcamp[10] The brothers went bankrupt.[11]

Later careers

After the 1992 bankruptcy, Mike and his wife Margie ran a New Lambton video store and worked for the park's new owner. In 1997 Mike sold part of his Tea Gardens property to fund the production of a far north Queensland film for Channel Seven. Mike and his wife Margie signed a contract with Channel Seven for 12 one-hour documentaries, the first of which aired in 1998 in The World Around Us slot.[5] On September 14, 2009 Mike Leyland died from Parkinson's disease.[12] He was 68 years old.

Mal and his wife Laraine ran a photo processing lab in Queensland and launched a travel magazine.[5] In 1997 Mal and Laraine launched a bi-monthly magazine, Leyland's Australia.[11] In 2000 Mal produced the television show Leyland's Australia, with his wife Laraine, daughter Carmen and her husband Robert Scott[13] - travelling around Australia in a caravan.[14] In April 2000 Channel 9 cancelled the show after 6 episodes but the series was then picked up by Network Ten.[14]

Documentaries

  • 1963 - Down the Darling - A trip from Mungindi, Queensland, to Mildura, Victoria, following the 2,300 kilometre course of the Darling River, Australia's longest river, in a small aluminium boat. An accompanying book was titled Great Ugly River was published by Lansdowne Press in 1965.
  • 1966 - Wheels Across a Wilderness - Driving two Land Rovers from Steep Point, Western Australia, across the centre of the continent to Cape Byron, New South Wales. The trip was also published as a book, Where Dead Men Lie. IMDB link
  • 1969 - Open Boat to Adventure - A six month journey from Darwin to Sydney in an 18-foot open boat, following the coast around Arnhem Land and Cape York. The book was titled Untamed Coast.
  • Lure of the Red Centre

Television series

Bibliography

  • Gold fever : Is it the perfect crime? (2000)
  • Great Ugly River: A Modern Adventure in Australia’s Outback, Mike Leyland, (1965)
  • Untamed Coast: Darwin to Sydney in an 18ft. Boat
  • Where Dead Men Lie: An Adventurous Journey that Spanned a Continent

References

  1. ^ "Mike Leyland dies, aged 68". news.com.au. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2009-09-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b Channel Surfing Safari, The Sydney Morning Herald, April 21, 2003
  3. ^ a b Wilmoth, Peter (1997-07-27). "How The Leyland Brothers Lost Their Way". Sunday Age. John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Leighton, Spencer (2004-01-03). "Leyland brother's venture". Geelong Advertiser. Nationwide News Proprietary Pty Ltd. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Joyce, James (2000-02-26). "Ask The Leylands About Sibling Rivalry". Newcastle Herald. John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Safe, Georgina (1997-07-02). "Leylands out of the Wilderness". The Australian. Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Harvie, Jeni (1992-12-08). "$800,000 Leyland Sale". Australian Financial Review. John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd. p. 33. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Nicholas Way (ed.) (1992-07-24). "Leyland Bros Go West". Business Review Weekly. John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd. p. 12. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b Pam Walkley And Aap (1992-10-19). "Theme Park for Auction". Australian Financial Review. John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd. p. 44. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Great Aussie Bushcamp website
  11. ^ a b Lovell, Darren (1997-08-03). "Leylands rebuilding their world". Sunday Telegraph. Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Perez, Jesse (2009-09-14). "Australian explorer Mike Leyland dies age 68". Livenews.com.au. Macquarie National News. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)http://www.livenews.com.au/feature/australian-explorer-mike-leyland-dies-age-68/2009/9/14/219364 Australian explorer Mike Leyland dies age 68]
  13. ^ Heaney, Claire (2000-10-14). "Leylands hot up act". Herald-Sun. Herald and Weekly Times Limited. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ a b Joyce, James (2000-09-01). "Out Of The Wilderness". Newcastle Herald. John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd.
  15. ^ Barclay, Alison (1997-10-28). "Out Back with the Reel Thing". Herald-Sun. Herald and Weekly Times Limited. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External Links

Mike Leyland was an Inspiration www.flashbackentertainment.com Episodes of the Tv Series available

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