13/09/2026
Before the knighthood, Leslie Thiess lived in roadside camps, chasing earthmoving contracts through Depression-era Queensland with his brothers.
Born at Drayton in 1909, he was one of eleven children. His father’s decision to replace dairy cattle with contracting machinery gave the family another way to earn a living.
Les quickly understood the opportunity.
At eighteen, he secured his first independent road contract. In 1933, he partnered with Henry Horn on a larger road-building job, bringing four brothers into the operation.
When Horn retired in 1939, the business became Thiess Bros.
War accelerated its growth. Military airfields and other defence projects brought bigger contracts, equipment and experience. The company also entered open-cut coal mining at Blair Athol and Muswellbrook.
Afterwards, the brothers kept expanding.
Thiess Holdings was formed in 1950 and publicly floated in 1958. Dams, tunnels, highways and mining projects carried the family name across Australia.
The Snowy Mountains Scheme became a major chapter. Thiess helped construct dams and tunnels while introducing Toyota vehicles for demanding construction work.
Coal opened another door. Negotiations with Japanese buyers began in 1958, followed by exports from Kianga in 1960, helping establish Queensland’s growing coal trade with Japan.
Knighted in 1971, Leslie had travelled far from those roadside camps.
His legacy also carried controversy. A 1991 defamation jury upheld allegations that he had bribed Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
Thiess died on November 25, 1992, aged 83.
His career left an immense physical record: excavated coalfields, roads and dams built by a business that began moving dirt.
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Photo: Thiess
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