Bathurst actors feature in Crime Investigation Australia

The Cangai Siege, which will be screened on the Seven Network's Crime Investigation Australia, was filmed at Kurrawong Farm, Kirkconnell, with Bathurst actor Justin Buchta, playing the lead.

In 1993, three drifters, Leonard Leabeater, Robert Steele and Raymond Bassett went on a murder rampage across eastern Australia, in which five people were killed.

The desperados were finally cornered by police in an unoccupied homestead at Cangai, near Grafton, in northern NSW.

The re-enactment of the rampage, filmed at the Kirkconnell property, will feature heavily in Sunday's segment.

Producer, Rudi McGregor, said Crime Investigation Australia has been going for about 18 years, and is a favourite among TV audiences.

Produced from Fox Studios in Sydney, he said he needed access to a large property to film the segment, when a deal was struck to use Kurrawong Farm, thanks to connections with Bathurst actor Tobias Bland, who had worked with executive producer Graham NcNeice for many years.

Mr McGregor said shooting involved a massive crew, of about 20 people, who were in town for six days to film.

"The time we were filming was in the middle of Winter, we rocked up the day before to prep and it was snowing up there.

"Those poor young Bathurst kids who played parts, they were really good.

"It was freezing and they were in thongs, boardshorts and T-shirts trying to act like they are in North Queensland.

"We were throwing rugs over them getting them near heaters during the breaks. The crew and the director and said it was one of the hardest shoots they've ever had to do.

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"They were going through from 7am until 2am some mornings. It was full on."

But he said the local actors did an amazing job.

"There were about 15 local actors, and they did a great job especially Justin Buchta, who plays the lead.

"This was shot during covid times, and at some points we didn't know if we'd even get up there.

"We actually cast Justin through a Zoom call,we took the risk and he was incredible, which you'll see on Sunday," he said.

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