When first appointed General Manager of 3KZ in 1965, Les was the youngest person to become GM of an Australian metropolitan radio station.  He was General Manger for the next 13 years.  In 1979 Les returned to 3KZ as GM and then Managing Director.  A year later, he led 3KZ’s transition to become the first commercial FM radio station in Australia.  He remained at 3KZ/GOLD 104.3 for 11 years.

Les Heil believed, passionately, that you can never give back as much as you receive.  It was a guiding principle that he lived by and put into practice, every day.  Les contributed a great deal to the communities he lived in.  He was president of the Kiwanis Club of Melbourne, an organisation that mentors young Australians to help them strive to be the best they can be.  He served on numerous community service committees, harnessing impeccable stakeholder relationships to support those who needed a hand up.  Through the substantial audience reach of 3KZ/GOLD, Les was instrumental in fundraising efforts that collectively donated millions of dollars to the Children’s Wing of Melbourne’s Austin Hospital.

Les served on boards and in advisory roles that saw him involved in the acquisition and management of numerous radio stations in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland where he led the successful application for the first FM licence on the Gold Coast which was to become SEA-FM, launch pad for multiple SEA-branded music stations around Australia.  Les also led the migration of a Sunshine Coast AM station to FM In 1988, successfully launching the MIX and SEA brands in that market.

In the 1970s, he helped establish broadcasting services in developing countries, including the Solomon Islands.  Les also helped establish the first commercial radio station in New Zealand, Radio Hauraki.

In 2023, Les was enjoying retirement on the Sunshine Coast when we persuaded him to return to radio and chair the board of 104.9 Sunshine FM.  Under Les’ leadership, Sunshine FM maintained the highest audience reach of any station on The Coast, maximising Sunshine FM’s support for more than 600 community organisations and events, each year.

Les was a former President and director of the Federation Of Australian Radio Broadcasters and was, for many years, a guest lecturer at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.

In 1978, Les was recognised by peers as Radio Executive Of The Year.  In 1985, he was presented with commercial radio’s highest honour, the Radio Achievement Award and became only the eighth person in Australia to receive that honour.  In 1988, Les was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of his service to Australian media and in 2002, Les was inducted into the Radio Broadcast Industry Hall Of Fame.

His ‘first’ broadcasting career spanned 50 years and Les maintained his connection to radio during his retirement.  Taking into account his leadership of 104.9 Sunshine FM, Les’ contribution to Australian radio spanned a staggering 74 years.

Our warmest thoughts are with Lyn, his wife, best friend and soulmate.  Les is an enormous loss to his family, his friends, our community and our radio station that he loved so much.