Here’s two pairs of brothers that changed the four-wheel drive world forever—they’re certainly fit for our pioneers series! Read about Mike and Mal Leyland, and the Brown Brothers from ARB. Mike & Mal Leyland Ask the Leyland Brothers was not…
Here’s two pairs of brothers that changed the four-wheel drive world forever—they’re certainly fit for our pioneers series! Read about Mike and Mal Leyland, and the Brown Brothers from ARB.
Mike & Mal Leyland
Ask the Leyland Brothers was not only a television series that captured viewers from all over Australia, but a catchy song that’s become a part of our musical folklore. Emigrating from the UK with their parents when Mike was eight and Mal was five, Mike’s interest in cinematography was piqued when his father bought him a 16mm camera after he’d won a trip to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in a cartoon competition. By the age of 21, he was working for the NBN television station in Newcastle, their adopted city. Mike and Mal began making one-off docos about Australia and in 1976, the first episode of Ask the Leyland Brothers appeared on TV screens, running initially for four years, then again from 1983-1984.
What made the Leylands significant for our purposes was that they made programs featuring their families for Australian families, popularising the notion that 4X4s made a great combination family/touring vehicle.
A 1990 decision to open a Leyland Brothers theme park north of Newcastle proved to be a bad one. Mike died of Parkinson’s Disease in 2009, and Mal now lives in the NSW New England region.
Brown Brothers
Anyone who knows anything about the Australian 4X4 scene will have heard of ARB. Those who know the company a little better may think the name derives from the initials of two of the current directors – Andy and Roger Brown – but that’s not the case.
In 1975, another brother, Anthony Ronald Brown, went on an extensive trip through the Top End. In those days, four-wheel drivers had no choice but to fit home-made or badly fitting accessories, and Tony saw plenty of busted bullbars and roofracks. He came back to Melbourne intent on remedying the situation, initially concentrating on making bullbars in the family garage.
As the business grew, Tony tried to register the name ‘Australian Road & Bush’, but was knocked back. So he used his initials and ARB was born. While Tony concentrated on manufacturing, brother Roger looked after the finances and Andy the sales. Tony left the business when the company went public in the late ‘80s, deciding to go into farming. ARB is Australia’s largest 4X4 accessory company, with an office in the US and products sold to more than 100 countries throughout the world. ARB now has six directors, with both Andy and Roger sitting on the board.
Words: Ian Glover
