Les Twentyman OAM

Raised tough in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Les has dedicated his life to helping young Australians find a positive future and stands today as Australia’s best-known youth worker and social justice warrior.

He is one of the great Australians, a Victorian of the Year and awarded the Order of Australia, having helped thousands of young Victorians to a better life.

Through his decades of experience working on the streets Les has developed an expertise on a range of community issues, including youth homelessness, drug abuse, prison reform and social welfare.

He is regularly called upon by senior members of government to discuss youth and social issues and is the first stop for media outlets for the word on what is happening on the streets.

Les has been featured in hundreds of TV, radio & print media interviews, is a regular columnist with the Herald-Sun and has been featured in a number of documentaries, including” The Ohio Gun Buyback Scheme”, “LA Gangs”, “Can We Help”, “20 Minutes with Twentyman” and “Heroin Without the Hype.”

His autobiographies are much sought after, with his recent book, the ‘Mouth That Roared’ detailing how he came back from a near death experience to once again roar on behalf of the nation’s youth a best-seller.

Les gives a voice to the voiceless, shining a light on emerging youth issues and has accompanied the Governor General of Australia, government ministers and leaders of industry to the ‘dark-streets’ of Melbourne.

And soon Les’ life will be immortalised in film, with a documentary of his life currently being filmed.

The Les Twentyman Foundation maintains his vision and legacy.