Michael "Mick" James Leahy MBE (26 February 1901 - 7 March 1979) was an Australian explorer and colonialist, famed for his discovery of the Highlands area of Papua New Guinea. He photographed, filmed and published many of his explorations widely.
Leahy was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, the fourth of nine children of Irish migrants Daniel Leahy, a railway guard, and his wife Ellen, née Stone. After an education at the Christian Brothers' College ...
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Michael "Mick" James Leahy MBE (26 February 1901 - 7 March 1979) was an Australian explorer and colonialist, famed for his discovery of the Highlands area of Papua New Guinea. He photographed, filmed and published many of his explorations widely.
Leahy was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, the fourth of nine children of Irish migrants Daniel Leahy, a railway guard, and his wife Ellen, née Stone. After an education at the Christian Brothers' College in Toowoomba, Leahy initially worked as a railway clerk before leaving to become a freelance timber cutter. He abandoned this in 1926 upon hearing about the Edie Creek gold strike in New Guinea. He was soon followed to New Guinea by his brothers Paddy, Jim and Danny, while another brother, Tom, remained in Toowoomba.
After suffering from an almost fatal bout of malaria upon trying to reach the gold fields, Leahy instead took a construction and labour management job.
Mick Leahy with Mick Dwyer walked across New Guinea in 1930 and disproved the...
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