Les Carlyon

Q: When did Les Carlyon die?

Les Carlyon died on March 4, 2019.

Q: How old was Les Carlyon when they died?

Les Carlyon was 76 years old at the time of death.

Q: When was Les Carlyon born?

Les Carlyon was born on June 10, 1942.

historian · journalist

Born: June 10, 1942
Died: March 4, 2019
Age: 76 years
Nationality: Australia

Deaths in 2019 March 2019 Died on March 4 historian journalist Who Died Today Verified Oct 21, 2026

About Les Carlyon

Les Carlyon, 76, Australian writer and newspaper editor (The Age, The Herald).

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Full Biography

Leslie Allen Carlyon AC (10 June 1942 – 4 March 2019) was an Australian writer and newspaper editor.

Early life

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. In 1963, he moved to The Age working successively as leader writer, finance editor, news editor, assistant editor and, in 1975 aged 33, editor, 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.

From 1977 to 1982, he was a visiting lecturer in journalism at RMIT University, Melbourne. During this time, he continued writing for newspapers across Australia with a particular focus on horse racing.

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.

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

Books

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.
Carlyon, Les (2021). Les Carlyon: A Life in Words. Allen and Unwin Australia. ISBN 9781760879723.

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.

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

Les Carlyon: A Life in Words, published posthumously, is a collection of Carlyon's articles from across his career, selected by his family and with a foreword by his son, Patrick Carlyon.

Awards

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".

He was admitted to the Australian Media Hall of Fame.

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

Awards

Walkley Award for magazine feature writing 1971
Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award 1993
Walkley Award for journalism leadership 2004
Melbourne Press Club Quill Award for Lifetime Achievement 2004
Prime Minister's Prize for History 2007 (for The Great War)
Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) 2014

Death

Carlyon's death, aged 76, on 4 March 2019 was widely reported.

In 2020, the Les Carlyon biennial literary award for military history was established by the Australian War Memorial council.

Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

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Sources

SourceWikipedia
Source pagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Carlyon
LicenseCC BY-SA 4.0
AccessedSep 26, 2026
WikipediaView article
WikidataView record
Last verifiedOctober 21, 2026
Source checkedSep 26, 2026

Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions

Questions drawn from Les Carlyon's archived record and the sources above.

1.What was the date of birth of Leslie Allen Carlyon?
- A.4 March 2019
- B.19 August 1940
- C.10 June 1942correct
- D.21 March 2005
Leslie Allen Carlyon was born on 10 June 1942.
Source: biographical introduction
2.Where did Leslie Allen Carlyon begin his career in journalism in 1960?
- A.The Sunday Times
- B.The Sydney Morning Herald
- C.The Sun News-Pictorialcorrect
- D.The Bulletin
Leslie Allen Carlyon began his career as a cadet on the Sun News-Pictorial in 1960.
Source: Early life
3.In what year did Leslie Allen Carlyon become the editor of The Age?
- A.1963
- B.1975correct
- C.1971
- D.1984
Leslie Allen Carlyon became the editor of The Age in 1975 at the age of 33.
Source: Early life
4.Who preceded Leslie Allen Carlyon as editor of The Age?
- A.Bart Cummings
- B.Graham Perkincorrect
- C.Tony Abbott
- D.Patrick Carlyon
Leslie Allen Carlyon succeeded Graham Perkin as editor of The Age following Perkin's sudden death.
Source: Early life
5.Where did Leslie Allen Carlyon serve as a visiting lecturer in journalism from 1977 to 1982?
- A.University of Sydney
- B.University of Melbourne
- C.RMIT Universitycorrect
- D.Monash University
Leslie Allen Carlyon was a visiting lecturer in journalism at RMIT University from 1977 to 1982.
Source: Early life
6.Leslie Allen Carlyon won the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award in which year?
- A.1993correct
- B.2006
- C.2004
- D.1971
Leslie Allen Carlyon won the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award in 1993.
Source: Early life
7.What is the subject of the book 'The Master: A personal portrait of Bart Cummings' by Les Carlyon?
- A.The Gallipoli campaign
- B.Bart Cummingscorrect
- C.The Western Front
- D.Horse racing journalism
The Master is a personal portrait of Bart Cummings written by Les Carlyon.
Source: Books
8.In what year was the book 'Gallipoli' by Les Carlyon published?
- A.1998
- B.2006
- C.2001correct
- D.1996
Les Carlyon published his book Gallipoli in 2001.
Source: Books
9.Who wrote the foreword for the posthumously published book 'Les Carlyon: A Life in Words'?
- A.Barrie Cassidy
- B.Bart Cummings
- C.Graham Perkin
- D.Patrick Carlyoncorrect
The posthumous collection Les Carlyon: A Life in Words features a foreword by his son, Patrick Carlyon.
Source: Books
10.For which work did Les Carlyon win the Prime Minister's Prize for History in 2007?
- A.The Great Warcorrect
- B.The Master
- C.True Grit
- D.Gallipoli
Les Carlyon was awarded the Prime Minister's Prize for History in 2007 for his book The Great War.
Source: Awards
11.Leslie Allen Carlyon was invested as a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in what year?
- A.2019
- B.2006
- C.2004
- D.2014correct
In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours List, Leslie Allen Carlyon was invested as a Companion of the Order of Australia.
Source: Awards
12.How long did Les Carlyon serve as a Member of the Council of the Australian War Memorial?
- A.From 2004 until 2019
- B.From 1993 until 2006
- C.From 2006 until his deathcorrect
- D.From 2014 until 2020
Les Carlyon served on the Council of the Australian War Memorial from May 2006 until his death.
Source: Awards
13.Who replaced Les Carlyon on the Council of the Australian War Memorial?
- A.Graham Perkin
- B.Barrie Cassidy
- C.Tony Abbottcorrect
- D.Patrick Carlyon
Les Carlyon was replaced by Tony Abbott on the Council of the Australian War Memorial.
Source: Awards
14.At what age did Leslie Allen Carlyon die?
- A.80
- B.67
- C.73
- D.76correct
Leslie Allen Carlyon died at the age of 76 on 4 March 2019.
Source: Death
15.The Les Carlyon biennial literary award for military history was established by which organization?
- A.The Herald and Weekly Times
- B.The Australian War Memorial councilcorrect
- C.The Melbourne Press Club
- D.The Australian Media Hall of Fame
The Australian War Memorial council established the Les Carlyon biennial literary award in 2020.
Source: Death
16.In which city did the discussion between Les Carlyon and Barrie Cassidy about sport and war take place?
- A.Melbournecorrect
- B.Sydney
- C.Perth
- D.Canberra
The conversation between Les Carlyon and Barrie Cassidy was held at the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne on 19 August 2008.
Source: External links