Les Carlyon

Carlyon began his career in journalism with The Herald and Weekly Times as a cadet on the Sun News-Pictorial (now the Herald Sun) in 1960.[1] In 1963 he moved to The Age working successively as leader writer, finance editor, news editor, assistant editor and, in 1975 aged 33, editor,[2] following the sudden death of the previous editor, Graham Perkin. Carlyon had to resign for health reasons in 1976 after just one year in the position.[3]

From 1977 to 1982 he was a Visiting Lecturer in Journalism at RMIT University, Melbourne.[2] During this time he continued writing for newspapers across Australia with a particular focus on horse racing.[4][5]

In 1984 Carlyon returned to an executive role in journalism with his first employer, the Herald and Weekly Times, where he was promoted to editor-in-chief. After resigning in 1986, Carlyon again continued as a freelance writer and columnist during the 1990s, contributing to such publications as the Sydney Morning Herald, Western Australia’s The Sunday Times and The Bulletin.[4]

Carlyon twice won the Walkley Award for journalism (1971 and 2004). In 1993 he won the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award.[6][7]

In addition to his career as a journalist, Carlyon was also an accomplished author writing mainly on sport and Australian military history. His books include:

• Carlyon, Les (1996). True Grit: Tales from a Decade on the Turf. Mandarin. ISBN 9781863306065.
• Carlyon, Les (1998). Heroes in our eyes. Information Australia. ISBN 9781863502467.
• Carlyon, Les (2001). Gallipoli. Macmillan Australia. ISBN 9781743534229.
• Carlyon, Les (2006). The Great War. Picador Australia. ISBN 9780330424967.
• Carlyon, Les (2011). The Master: A personal portrait of Bart Cummings. Macmillan Australia. ISBN 9781742628837.

Gallipoli, a popular history of the Allied Gallipoli campaign in the Dardanelles during the First World War (which remains a key event in the Australian and New Zealand national consciousnesses), was published in 2001, and met with critical and commercial success in Australia, New Zealand and England. The book was the basis for the Australian 2015 TV miniseries Gallipoli, released in the year of the 100th anniversary of the campaign.[8]

The Great War is the story of Australian forces on the Western Front in France and Belgium also during World War I.[9][10]

In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours List, Carlyon was invested as a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), for "eminent service to literature through the promotion of the national identity as an author, editor and journalist, to the understanding and appreciation of Australia's war history, and to the horseracing industry".[11]

He was admitted to the Australian Media Hall of Fame.[12]

He served as a Member of the Council of the Australian War Memorial from May 2006 until his death[13] (he was replaced by Tony Abbott[14]). In April 2020, the Australian War Memorial announced the inaugural Les Carlyon Literary Prize in his memory.[15]

Carlyon's death, aged 76, on 4 March 2019 was widely reported.[16][17][18]

• Les Carlyon at IMDb
• ‘Gallipoli in a Nation’s Remembrance’; Australian War Memorial Anniversary Oration by Les Carlyon; 11 November 2004(transcript and audio)
• Les Carlyon 'The Write Stuff' The Age 21 March 2005
• Transcript of interview, 30 June 2006 by Andrew Denton on ABC television program Enough Rope
• Transcript of interview by Tony Jones 25 May 2007 on ABC television program Lateline
• Les Carlyon and Barrie Cassidy in Conversation: Writer Les Carlyon and sports journalist Barrie Cassidy talk about the interplay between sport and war. This discussion, held at the State Library of Victoria on 19 August 2008, was part of the program of events for the Sport and War exhibition