Les was a celebrated scientist whose mind was not bound to academia. His understanding of the natural world was exceptional, and significant in that he was able to give meaning to his knowledge through a rich dialogue with imagination. Although Les has missed the final print, this book is the fruit of many years of dedication and is attuned to Les’ sensibility as an artist in his own right. Through the mirror, lamp and lens, it is a lasting homage to the man and the Reserve.
Les first came into my life through our mutual love of natural history. On occasion, Les would pass subtle comments about how I fell short in celebrating the lives of his beloved bats in my work. I knew the remedy to this would take significant investment, so I simply accepted his jibes and parked it in the too hard basket. Decades later, Les and his dear life-long colleague Dr Greg Richards, turned up at my front door with a freshly baked chocolate cake and a pair of grins that were hard to resist. Within the hour I had committed to photographing the bats of Australia. I didn’t know it at the time, but this would be a journey that would change my life.