17-521: Les Norton is the protagonist in a series of fiction books written by Australian author Robert G. Barrett . A likeable and laconic Aussie battler , Norton first appears in You Wouldn't Be Dead For Quids (1984) and is described as stockily built and red-haired who doesn't mind a fight, a punt or a root . He was born in Dirranbandi , and lived there until he was involved in a pub fight, when
34-410: A figurehead at this time. Also, it began to feature more celebrities and once again returned to Page three girls or American models. The reliance on Australian talent diminished. In 1992, the magazine was the subject of controversy for featuring a "woman on all fours in a dog collar" on its cover, which prompted "feminist uni students to protest in the streets." The edition was banned from display by
51-511: A jokes page. The publisher was Bauer Media Pty Ltd. The headquarters was in Sydney . People was reportedly the first weekly magazine in Australia to feature topless models. People was first published in 1950; it covered "everything from news, to scandals, to true crime stories." Pix , a weekly men's magazine, merged with People in 1972. People magazine started a "Covergirl of
68-643: Is based on the Kellett Club, a small but well-known private casino in a terrace house in Kellett Street, Kings Cross . Both Doogsa and Willsy had associations with the Kellett club; Barrett did not. After work they would "grab drinks at the early opener at Kings Cross and swap stories" while Barrett jotted down the occasional note. A montage of these stories and the continuing life experiences of these two uniquely Australian individuals are what appears in
85-522: The Central Coast of New South Wales. He appeared in a number of films and TV commercials but preferred to concentrate on his writing career. Just before his death, Barrett disclosed that the character "Les Norton" was based on two likeable Sydney " larrikin " identities, primarily his friend, Ken Wills (Willsy), a polyathlete who was a retired Sydney TRG / water police officer, deep sea diver, first grade rugby league player for South Sydney in
102-589: The Les Norton series. Barrett also wrote other single book stories. So What Do You Reckon? is a collection of his columns from when he was a columnist for the Australian People magazine. His books sold over 1,000,000 copies in Australia . Barrett died at Terrigal, New South Wales , on 20 September 2012 after a long battle with bowel cancer. People (Australian magazine) People
119-649: The Office of Film and Literature Classification and withdrawn from newsagents by its publisher. In October 2000, the Big Pineapple , a tourist attraction on the Sunshine Coast , was used as a backdrop for one of People 's photo spreads. Its operators claimed that the magazine's team "entered the park without permission" and the photos had "tarnished a squeaky clean reputation". They were reported to have been taking legal action and their lawyers sought
136-732: The Year" quest in the early 1980s with Samantha Fox an early winner. The 1985 winner was Carolyn Kent. People had a deliberate policy of searching for "average Aussie birds" from 1985 onwards, trying to veer away from a reliance on U.K. Page 3 girl pictorials (though Page 3 girls still appeared, and indeed, Tracey Coleman was named Covergirl of the year in 1992 and 1994). Mostly scouted by and photographed by Walter Glover, many popular "average" girls became very popular and frequent cover girls. These include Lynda Lewis, Lisa Russell, Narelle Nixon, Melinda Smith, Raquel Samuels, Tanja Adams (real name Tanja Adamiak), and Belinda Harrow (who also appeared as
153-464: The casino's presence. Les' career provides many opportunities for training, fighting, sex, dancing, photography, reflection and the odd mystery solving. Les played rugby league for Easts during his early days in Sydney. He drives a 1968 Ford Falcon in the early stories. In later stories he drives a late model Holden Commodore Berlina that belonged to a man who was murdered in the car. Les tolerates
170-449: The debut cover–centre of Picture magazine in 1988. At its peak in the mid-1980s, People sold about 250,000 copies a week and was the fourth biggest-selling weekly magazine in Australia. Then editor David Naylor said women were 30 per cent of the magazine's audience: "They liked doing the giant crossword on the train, and the stories were fun. We had a few nipples but it was all very wholesome and non-threatening." Though published by
187-568: The local police officer told him to leave before investigators from Brisbane could arrive when he was identified as a person of interest in a subsequent murder investigation. He moved to Sydney , and ended up living in Bondi , working as a bouncer in an illegal casino in Kings Cross . In later books it turns from an illegal casino to a bridge club, as the club's owner Price Galese has further trouble bribing Police and Government officials to ignore
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#1732790725228204-513: The mid 1970s, a professional boxer and a skiing gold medalist. The other character was an amateur boxer turned seaman/waterfront worker, William (Doogza) Davis, an underworld hard man. Barrett worked as a DJ and his two friends worked as doormen at Randi Wix night club in Randwick , thinly veiled as the nightclub where Les Norton works in the tales. The nightclub in the books, the Kelly Club,
221-529: The same company, People had an early fierce rivalry with The Picture magazine. Many models defected from People to The Picture , and vice versa. In the early 1990s, People followed the lead of The Picture and introduced "Home Girls" – amateur photos sent in by female readers. The Picture was seriously eroding People 's sales figures by featuring fully nude photos, as opposed to People 's topless-only stance. In 1992, People fought back, and went fully nude. Gold Coast model Lisa Haslem became
238-632: The smell which persists despite having the car regularly detailed. In the later stories he has a house in Bondi which he shares with an advertising executive named Warren. In 2000, the Avoca Beach Surf Life Saving Club launched one of its surfboats as the Les Norton . In 2004, AAP reported that a film adaptation of Barrett's first book You Wouldn't Be Dead For Quids was to be made. Rugby league player Matthew Johns
255-475: Was a fortnightly Australian lad's mag owned by Bauer Media Group . The magazine had been published since 1950. It is not to be confused with the gossip magazine known by that name in the United States; that magazine is published under the name Who in Australia. People focused on celebrity interviews and scandal, glamour photography , sex stories sent in by readers, puzzle, crosswords, and
272-449: Was a popular Australian author of numerous books, most of them featuring the fictional Australian character Les Norton . Barrett was born and raised in Bondi , Sydney , where he worked mainly as a butcher. He left school at 14 to do a few odd jobs before taking on a trade as a butcher around the eastern suburbs of Sydney. He gave up his trade when a hind of beef fell on him and injured his shoulder. After 30 years he moved to Terrigal on
289-505: Was slated to star in it, however, an actor for the lead role of Norton's character had not been found. In 2018, a 10-part television series titled Les Norton television series, adapted from the series of novels, was in production, starring Alexander Bertrand as Les Norton with David Wenham and Rebel Wilson . It first aired in August 2019 on ABC . Robert G. Barrett Robert George Barrett (14 November 1942 – 20 September 2012)
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