Dick Smith

Australian Business Magnate

Dick Smith was born on March 18, 1944. He is best known as an Australian businessman and aviator. He has founded multiple companies. In 1968, he founded electronics retailer Dick Smith Electronics. In 1982, he sold the business to Woolworths, although the business still retained his name in the business title and his image as the company logo.

Smith founded Dick Smith Foods (DSF) in 1999, marketed as a crusade against foreign ownership of Australian food producers, particularly Arnott's biscuits. DSF only sells foods produced in Australia by Australian-owned companies. Dick Smith products are often named to parody the items with which they compete - for example, in competition with Redheads matches, Smith sells near-identically packaged matches called Dickheads.

In 2004, Smith gave public support to the asylum seeker Peter Quasim, who was eventually released in 2005 by the Australian Government after 7 years in detainment. This support included a visit to Afghanistan seeking evidence of Quasim's claims.

Smith has also attempted a number of well-publicized practical jokes. The most elaborate joke attempted was the "attempt" to tow an iceberg from Antarctica to Australia in an effort to obtain additional fresh water. He won the 1986 Australian of the Year. Smith is also a prominent member of the Australian Skeptics and supports research into water divining.

In 1983, Smith made the first solo helicopter flight around the world. During the trip, he landed on container ships that were at sea in order to refuel. Also during the 1980s, he founded the magazine Australian Geographic, a National Geographic-style magazine with a focus on Australia. In addition to his business and personal ventures, Dick Smith is also an accomplished author. A partial list of his publications include: Above the World (1996), Solo Around the World (1992), Our Fantastic Planet (1991).