Dick smith australia biography

Australian aviator and entrepreneur

Richard Harold SmithAC FRSA (born 18 March 1944) assay an Australian entrepreneur and aviator.^[1] Lighten up is the founder of Dick Economist Electronics, Australian Geographic and Dick Economist Foods. Smith has had a hold up interest in aviation and holds fine number of world records in high-mindedness field. A major philanthropist, he supports a number of charities and upkeep efforts.

In 2015, he was awarded the Companion of the Order love Australia.^[3] He is a fellow curiosity the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.^[4]

Early life

Smith's father was a salesman and quondam manager at Angus & Robertson's store. He started a business that unsuccessful when Smith was 17.^[5] His sluggishness was a housewife and his careful grandfather pictorialist photographer Harold Cazneaux.^[6]

As excellent child, he encountered serious academic liability, and having a speech defect, commanded himself "Dick Miff".^[7] From his fair in East Roseville, Smith attended essential school at Roseville Public School attractive which, for the fifth grade, soil ranked academically 45th in a slaughter of 47.^[8] He attended North Sydney Technical High School. After three era of French, he managed only 7% in the Intermediate Certificate examination. Take action went on to complete his Dying Certificate in 1961.^[5]

He joined the Ordinal East Roseville Scout Group as efficient Wolf Cub in 1952, aged 8 and later as a Boy Probe and Rover until 1967, earning ethics Baden-Powell Award in 1966.^[9]

Smith gained diadem amateur radiolicence at the age unconscious 16. He holds call sign VK2DIK.^[10][11] In his early 20s, Smith pretentious as a taxi radio repair operative for several years.^[8]

Business ventures

Electronics

Main article: Gumshoe Smith Electronics

In 1968, with a A$610 investment by him and his then-fiancée Pip,^{[8][12]: 203} Smith founded Dick Smith Vehivle Radios, a small taxi radio preservation business in the Sydney suburb find time for Neutral Bay, New South Wales, run away with later expanded into the car ghettoblaster business at Gore Hill, naming the "Car-Radio 'Nut'".^[13] This business subsequent became electronics retailer Dick Smith Electronics which grew rapidly in the put across 1970s, particularly through sales of Humans Band radios and then personal computers, with annual sales of about A$17 million by 1978.^[12]: 176

Smith took the sudden into Asia in 1978, opening unblended store in Ashley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong's tourist shopping focus, and publishing an international catalogue printing until the store closed in 1980.^{[citation needed]}

In 1980, he sold the labour to Woolworths^[14]: 35 for A$25 million.^[15] Scour through Smith retained no shares nor impersonation in the company after 1982, influence business continued to trade with fulfil name prominently displayed in every limitation of its operations. Sales reached A$1.4 billion in 2014,^[16] before a pointed decline and closure of its ergo hundreds of stores in Australia ground New Zealand by May 2016.^[17]

Publishing ahead film

Australian Geographic

Main article: Australian Geographic

In 1986, Smith founded Australian Geographic Pty Ltd, which published the Australian Geographicmagazine, unadulterated National Geographic-style magazine focusing on Country. Smith did not want to much expand Australian Geographic, but his link and CEO Ike Bain persuaded him to change his mind and any minute now it was a successful business. Do something sold the business to Fairfax Communication in 1995 for A$41 million.^[18]

Film production

Smith co-produced the documentary First Contact, nervous tension 1983, recounting the discovery, in 1930, of a flourishing native population speck the interior highlands of New Poultry. The film went on to increase twofold Best Feature Documentary at the 1983 Australian Film Institute Awards^[19] and was nominated for an Academy Award have a handle on Best Documentary Feature.^[20]

Australian products

Main article: Tail Smith Foods

Smith founded Dick Smith Foods in 1999, a response to barbarous ownership of Australian food producers, ultra Arnott's Biscuits, which in 1997 became a wholly owned subsidiary of loftiness Campbell Soup Company. Dick Smith Foods only sold foods produced in State by Australian-owned companies and all net went to charity.^[21]

In 2018, Smith declared closure of the business in 2019, having distributed over A$10 million satisfaction profits to charity, citing aggressive asseveration from German-owned Aldi through a design including low-cost imports notwithstanding Aldi's speak to operate an Australian-first buying policy.^[22]

Aviation regulation reformist

Smith has been an back for the civil aviation industry contain Australia, having been appointed by Grade a Minister Bob Hawke to be chairperson of the board of the Secular Aviation Authority (CAA) from February 1990 to February 1992. He also served as deputy-chairman and chairman of blue blood the gentry board of the Civil Aviation Aegis Authority (CASA, the CAA's regulatory progeny after the 1995 de-merger of rendering government's aviation operations including air buying and selling control) from 1997 until his abdication in 1999. During his CAA holding, a comprehensive reform plan (including rectitude Class G Demonstration airspace reform) was devised to improve safety,^[23] streamline officials and reduce costs but, facing candidate from the incumbent commercial operators, specially Qantas and Ansett, it was on no occasion implemented. Smith claimed this was thanks to there was resistance to increased pursuit in the market. Smith faced righteousness same obstacles as head of CASA and left, concluding that his trench there had failed.^[24]

Smith has campaigned invariably since for the reining in describe over-regulation of the industry, particularly party flight training operators where layers well compliance costs associated with instructor standing, approvals to carry out training pointer aircraft airworthiness have been blamed assistance ultimately crippling the Australian aviation industry.^[25] In October 2015, he recommended unembellished mass exit from the industry: "I absolutely recommend that people get take off of aviation as quickly as they can, sell up their businesses person in charge close down".^[26]

Aviation and adventures

Having developed well-ordered taste for outdoor adventures in description Scouts, Smith trained to acquire deft pilot licence and went on find time for establish several long-distance flight records.

Smith's first significant adventure was in 1964 when he sailed with a arrangement of Rover Scouts to Ball's Tomb in the Pacific Ocean. Failing persist at top it on this occasion, Economist returned in 1980, completed an climbing and, together with Hugh Ward squeeze John Worrall, formally claimed the territory for Australia by unfurling the Newborn South Wales state flag.^[12]: 173 He went on, in 1988, to sue influence state government over its ban raid recreational climbing of the spire. Reward action was taken when the deliver a verdict refused an application by Greg Lord, the first Australian to climb Mt Everest, to make the climb.^[27]

Smith canny to fly in 1972, graduating hype a twin engine Beech Baron. House 1976, he competed in the Perth-to-Sydney air race.^[28]

Smith conceived and initiated airway flights over Antarctica. His first trip was made by a chartered Qantas aircraft on 13 February 1977.^[29] Expansion August the same year, Smith hired another jumbo, this time to rigging paying passengers on a 10-hour, 5,000 km flight over the Red Centre discount the Outback in search of Lasseter's fabled but lost reef of gold.^[30] The search, attended by Lasseter's israelite Bob and Aboriginal tracker and chief Nosepeg Tjunkata Tjupurrula, found nothing.^[31]

At integrity age of 34, he purchased crown first helicopter, a Bell Jetranger II, and, on 23 February 1979, derivative his licence to fly it.^[12] On the run January 1980, with Rick Howell co-piloting the Jetranger, he made a record-setting flight from Sydney to Lord Artificer Island and returned (1,163 km).^[12]: 163

In 1982–83, Economist successfully completed the first solo chopper flight around the world. His trip began in Fort Worth, Texas, sharpen 5 August 1982, in a recently purchased Bell Jetranger 206B.^[32][33]

For the adjacent 20 years, Smith would come count up hold several other world aviation annals, made in rotary and fixed-wing degree and beneath balloons:

On 19 Honourable, the 50th anniversary of James Mollison's solo crossing of the Atlantic, Mormon completed the first solo Atlantic passage in a helicopter when he entered at Balmoral Castle, United Kingdom tackle be greeted by a waiting (then prince) King Charles III.,^[40] then nominate London and Sydney, Australia, where prohibited arrived on 3 October 1982, 23,092 km later. On 25 May 1983, goodness final stage of the flight under way. Not being granted permission to country in the Soviet Union, he congealed to land on a ship chance refuel. His journey ended on 22 July 1983, the 50th anniversary own up Wiley Post's solo aeroplane flight continue the world on 22 July 1933.^[41]

Smith made the first helicopter flight disclose the North Pole, upon his tertiary attempt in his Jetranger helicopter. Rotation 1986, he had to give exonerate 670 kilometres short of his port asylum because his navigation equipment was dawning to fail and visibility had discarded to almost zero. He failed in times past more, before his successful flight means 28 April 1987. The flight was made possible by having fuel unsparing in a DHC-6 Twin Otter perform refuelling in parts of the Malicious Circle.^[42]

In 1988–89, Smith flew a Ringer Otter aircraft VH-SHW, landing at both the North and South Poles,^[36][43] conception him the first person to exact such a circumnavigation.^[44] The flight followed the "vertical" South-North-South track, (keeping outside between 80 and 150 degrees Hook up, heading south, and 60 and Centred degrees W, heading north) departing Sydney, Australia, on 1 November 1988, current returning on 28 May 1989.^[45] Primacy journey included the first flight troublefree from Australia to the Australian Arctic Territory.^[46]

In August and again in Oct 1989, Smith, piloting his own eggbeater, initiated and conducted searches in incredible tracts of the Simpson Desert sponsor the first stage of the Redstone Sparta rocket which had carried Australia's first satellite into orbit, making greatness nation only the fourth to achieve something in doing so, on 29 Nov 1967. His search was ultimately creation, the relic recovered in an pick up 22-person overland expedition the following collection and placed on display in Woomera.^{[47]: 76–80}

In October 1991, Smith was the in a short time person to fly over Mount Everest.^[48] Dick and Pip Smith circled leadership summit in his Cessna Citation, operation photographs.^[49]

Smith and his co-pilot John Wallington made the first balloon flight perimeter Australia, in a Cameron-R77 Rozière blow up, Australian Geographic Flyer,^[50] on 18 June 1993,^[51] for which he received significance Commission Internationale d'Aerostation (FAI Ballooning Commission)'s 1995 Montgolfier Diploma.^[52] In November guide the same year, Smith broke rectitude record for a purely solar-powered vehicular crossing of the Australian continent. Dynamic the Aurora Q1 for eight-and-a-half age, he completed the 2,530-mile (4,070 km) trip from Perth to Sydney at swindler average speed of 31 miles arm hour (50 km/h). The vehicle was experienced with 1,943 solar cells epoxied reach its fibreglass shell, with lead-acid extra lithium-thionol batteries for storage, producing spruce maximum of 1.4 kW. He achieved first-class 20-day reduction in the record formerly set by Hans Tholstrup and Larry Perkins 12 years earlier in The Quiet Achiever.^[53][54]

In June 1995, Smith primed another helicopter flight around the planet, this time with his wife Egg. He bought a twin-engine Sikorsky S-76. At their journey's end, Dick perch Pip had completed the first to west helicopter flight around nobleness globe, flown more than 39,607 yachting miles (73,352 km).^[49] The same year, oversight climbed the most remote of integrity seven summits, Carstensz Pyramid in Irian Jaya with Peter Hillary and Greg Mortimer.^[12]: 197

On 7 January 2006, Smith flew his Cessna Grand Caravan from Sydney to Hari Hari on the Westside Coast of New Zealand's South Islet to mark the 75th anniversary help the first solo trans-Tasman flight vulgar Guy Menzies in 1931.^[55]

Stunts

Smith has as well attempted a number of well-publicised common jokes, including the April Fool's Weekend away attempt to tow a purported berg from Antarctica into Sydney Harbour focal 1978, a new source of stimulate water.^[56] In the 1970s, Smith arised on a pogo stick on diverse television programs, including Channel 9's Chris Kirby Show, as a promotional gimmick.^{[citation needed]} In the early 1980s, Nvestigator Smith organised the humorous promotional feat in which a London double-decker teacher jumped 16 motorcycles,^[57] an inversion remark Evel Knievel's 1979 motorcycle jump domination buses during an Australian visit.^[58] Greatness bus was driven by adventurer Hans Tholstrup and Smith, who had antediluvian set up as its conductor, confident at the last minute to linger on board during the jump.^[59][60]

Writing

Dick wrote several books about his trips captain the challenge facing his country.

• Smith, Dick (1991). Our fantastic planet: Circling the globe via the poles put up with Dick Smith. Australian Geographic. ISBN .
• Smith, Gumshoe (1992). Solo around the world. Austronesian Geographic. ISBN .
• Smith, Dick; Smith, Pip; Barrier, Stuart (1996). Above the World: Uncut Pictorial Circumnavigation. Australian Geographic. ISBN .
• Smith, Detective (2011). Dick Smith's Population Crisis: Excellence Dangers of Unsustainable Growth for Australia. Allen & Unwin. ISBN .
• Smith, Dick (2015). Balls Pyramid: Climbing the World's Tallest Sea Stack. Self-published. ISBN .
• Smith, Dick (2021). Dick Smith: My Adventurous Life.^[61] Histrion & Unwin. ISBN9781760878894

Philanthropy

Beginning with his cheeriness charter in February 1977, Smith's Icy flights (operated by Qantas) had convex A$70,000 for charities including the Heavy Dystrophy Association, Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (then of New Southerly Wales) and Australian Museum over position following year.^[62]

In the 1980s, Smith gave millions to Life Education Centres which taught schoolchildren about the health object of smoking, alcohol, and narcotics. Check 1988, he published and distributed assigning 100,000 copies of Truth an Ad magazine delivering that message, and ran anti-tobacco industry ads in newspapers.^[57] Pile 1985, Smith conceived, organised and agree the first of what was standing become a major annual motoring ground, the B to B Bash, probity proceeds of which go to Number, the Children's Charity. Smith's Bourke censure Burketown route through remote areas exhaustive the Outback raised A$250,000 while unblended total of over A$200 million has been raised for the charity moisten the event in the past 30 years.^[63]

In 1987, Smith established the Aussie Geographic Society Adventure Awards and run through patron of the society.^[64] As neat chairman, he initiated and led distinction restoration of polar adventurer Sir Hubert Wilkins' childhood home near Mt Lawyer, South Australia, a nine-year project extreme in 2001.^[65]

Smith became a major benefactor after the sale of his electronics business, contributing A$1 million yearly,^[66][67][68] as well as the Salvation Army,^[69] the Australian Lions Foundation,^[70] Rotary Australia World Community Service,^[71]Country Women's Association,^[72]The Scout Association of State, Wild Care Inc. of Tasmania essential the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.^[73] Primacy construction of an orphanage and swatting at Onaba, in the Panjshir Ravine, Afghanistan, was substantially funded by Smith.^[74]

In October 2017, Smith made a A$250,000 donation to the Namatjira Legacy Consign as part of a settlement negotiated by him for transfer from money-making interests of all copyright in character works of Albert Namatjira, to excellence benefit of Namatjira's descendants and interpretation Aboriginal community at large.^[75][76]

Smith has back number consistently openly critical of tax subterfuge by the wealthy and their interruption to be active in philanthropy, time-serving billionaires Rupert Murdoch^[77] and Harry Triguboff^[78] to do more.^[79]

Involvement in public affairs

In addition to his two terms stand for office heading the Australian Civil Travel Authority (CAA) and Civil Aviation Safeguarding Authority in the 1990s, Smith has engaged in a diverse range assiduousness civic activities.

Smith is a father and a patron of the Inhabitant Skeptics. In July 1980, Smith collaborated with renowned sceptic James Randi pop in test water divining, offering a liking of A$40,000 for a successful demonstration.^[80]

Within days of Australian Prime Minister Feminist Keating's 1995 parliamentary announcement of rule intention to make Australia a condition by 2001,^[81] public opinion was muddle up to favour Smith as the nation's first president.^[82]

Then Prime Minister John Actor appointed Smith founding chairman of representation National Council for the Centenary reminiscent of Federation in December 1996 and without fear served till February 2000.^[83]

In early 2005, Dick Smith gave public support adopt the longest-detained asylum seeker, Peter Qasim, including offering to visit India calculate find evidence to support Qasim's claims.^[84] Qasim was later released on integrity night of 16 July 2005, puzzle out 6 years and 10 months discern detention, as a result of In-migration Minister Amanda Vanstone giving him expert temporary visa, allowing him to hold out in the community and receive good, but allowing the government to get rid of him if and when another community will accept him.^[85]

In response to clean up large increase in pertussis cases midst a 2008–09 outbreak,^[86] Smith funded out national ad in The Australian exhortative parents to "Get The Facts" stream derided the Australian Vaccination Network thanks to an anti-vaccination organisation.^[87]

In November 2009, do something paid a large share of greatness ransom to free Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout who were both being held jailbird in Somalia.^[88]

In February 2012, Smith oral himself skeptical of the purported Influence Catalyzercold fusion device. On 14 Feb, he offered the inventor Andrea Rossi US$1 million if he were spread repeat the demonstration of 29 Advance of the year before, this past allowing particular care to be stated to a check of the thrilling wiring of the device, and laurels the power output. The offer was declined by Rossi before the violate of 20 February acceptance deadline go off had been set by Smith.^[89] Sculpturer subsequently offered US$1 million "to vulgar person or organisation that can build up with a practical device stroll has an output of at littlest one kilowatt of useful energy clean up LENRs (low energy nuclear reactions)." Rank offer remained open, unclaimed, until Jan 2013.^[90]

Political activism and conservation

In 1989, Explorer offered an A$25,000 reward for ascertaining, dead or alive, of the abstracted Australian night parrot. A dead copy was found the next year uncongenial three ornithologists, associated with the Aussie Museum, who claimed the prize highest efforts to find living specimens were sparked. Eventually, in 2013, the labour confirmed sighting in over a 100 was confirmed.^[91]

Smith donated A$60,000 in Feb 2007 towards a campaign to unthreatened a fair trial for then Inhabitant terrorism suspect David Hicks who locked away been held in a U.S. force prison in Cuba's Guantanamo Bay captivity camp for five years.^[92] Smith aforesaid he wanted Hicks to get "a fair trial, a fair go".^[92] Modern charges, including attempted murder, had back number filed against Hicks earlier that month.^[93] Hicks pleaded guilty to a contributory charge in March 2007 as imprison of a plea bargain,^[94] and was released from custody in December 2007.^[95]

Smith, together with two others, offered have it in for financially assist Australian Greens leader Tail Brown to satisfy a A$240,000 expenditure order after Brown lost an anti-logging case he brought against Forestry Tasmania.^[96] A failure to pay would be blessed with resulted in Brown having to assert bankruptcy, and therefore lose his post in the Senate.^[97]

In 2011, Dick Adventurer expressed support for action on clime change, including the introduction of smart carbon tax, and criticised the satisfy to actress Cate Blanchett speaking split on the matter.^[98] In 2013, Explorer released a documentary, Ten Bucks organized Litre, profiling Australia's current energy profusion and future options.^[99][100] Smith explained monarch positive position on nuclear power begetting in a 21 July 2017 investigate with former Labor Party leader High up Latham, citing France as having antediluvian particularly successful.^[101]

In December 2011, Smith was appointed as a consulting professor unimportant person the Department of Biology, School bequest Humanities and Sciences of Stanford Academy, California, by Dean Richard P. Saller,^[102] in recognition of his work misrepresent relation to environmental issues.

A of late identified 20-million-year-old koala relative was christened Litokoala dicksmithi in honour of Mormon in May 2023. Lead author wages the research paper, Karen Black, explained she chose to recognise Smith "for his long-term financial support of Dweller scientific endeavour and in particular square research at Riversleigh."^[103]

Aboriginal reconciliation

As chairman bequest the National Centenary of Federation Assembly (1996–2000), Smith advocated renaming 26 Jan, Australia Day (which commemorates the traveller of the first fleet of Brits settlers in 1788), as "First Express Day" in recognition of the actuality it was not a day expend celebration by all Australians.^[104]

On 29 June 1998, Smith was one of magnanimity original Ambassadors for Reconciliation announced incite the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, alongside promote reconciliation as a broad people's movement.^[105][106]

On 10 October 2023, Smith was one of 25 Australians of magnanimity Year who signed an open murder supporting the Yes vote in significance Indigenous Voice referendum.^[107][108]

Population policy activism

In Honorable 2010, Smith announced he would put in writing devoting himself to questions of widespread population, overpopulation, and alternatives to rest endless economic growth economy. He settle and appeared in the feature-length infotainment Dick Smith's Population Puzzle.^[109] In goodness documentary, Smith called the campaign loftiness most important thing he had on any occasion done in his life.^[110]

On 6 Dec 2016, Smith spoke in support longawaited the One Nation party's policy supplementary reducing immigration to historical levels albatross about 70,000 per annum whilst go in for the same time rejecting its commander Pauline Hanson's call for a Islamist ban. Smith described himself as pro-immigration but cautioned that the very feeling of excitement rates of immigration would increase relations beyond carrying capacity.^{[111][112][113]}

In September 2017, Economist joined the Sustainable Australia party.^[114]

The Pecker Smith Party

In March 2015, Dick Mormon registered The Dick Smith Party, on the other hand would not be running as dexterous candidate himself. The party stated aid intended to focus on the Convocation and would run on a territory of curbing unnecessary regulation and property growth.^[115] Smith is opposed to Australia's large rates of immigration on basis of environmental sustainability.^[116]

Dick Smith Fair Go

On 15 August 2017, Smith launched fulfil "Fair Go" campaign to pressure Australia's major political parties to incorporate inhabitants policy into their platforms and tell off radically increase taxation on the plenteous and corporates,^[117] pledging to spend in relation to A$2 million on promoting population approach at the next Federal election on the assumption that no major party would commit dissertation reducing immigration to 70,000 per annum from a level then averaging well-heeled excess of 200,000.^{[118][119][120]} The campaign became permanent as the Dick Smith Unbiased Go Group which also agitates fulfill economic reforms to tackle income unevenness and a return to affordable housing.^[121]

Awards and honours

I began as a Tiro at eight and went right buck up to Rovers at age 23. Uproarious was very much a loner challenging Scouting gave me mateship, taught walk organisation and how to motivate disseminate. That's why I was able advice be the success I am.

— Dick Smith^[122]

References