Dick Smith’s Autobiography
Review by
Nicholas Vinen
M
y Adventurous Life
T
he saying “truth is stranger than fiction” is a cliché.
But say you submitted Dick Smith’s autobiography to
an overseas publisher who had never heard of him and
claimed it is an adventure novel. I think they would reject
it as being too unrealistic!
A man who dropped out of high school at 16, became a
successful businessman and flew helicopters and planes
in record-breaking around-the-world flights? Then he set
up a flourishing publishing company with an Australiawide network of shops, plus another business selling
food, while giving away a significant chunk of his money
to charitable causes? Preposterous! Come back with a
more believable story.
A life full of such exploits makes for exciting reading,
and I found myself wanting to go back for more each time
I had to put it down. It helps that the book is well-written
and easy to read. It includes two maps of Mr Smith’s
adventures and several dozen colour photographs which
provide some important context for his words.
One of the things that struck me about this book is
that Dick Smith’s character really comes through. I can’t
pretend to know the man all that well, but he has told me
some of the stories in the book and reading the book gives
much the same experience.
Despite this, he credits three different writers and one
editor at the end. It shows how much effort they all put in
that the final result maintains so much of his personality.
This book is not just for electronics nuts. The story of
Dick Smith Electronics (DSE) takes up only a fairly small
portion of the book. I would have liked more detail in that
area, but I think I would be in the minority of readers.
Saving more pages for the adventures is the right move
for the book to have general appeal.
And I think he has succeeded in that respect. It will
be a great read for just about anyone who has heard of
Dick Smith, and I reckon that’d be most Australians. I
will be passing this copy on to my sister (definitely not
an electronics nut, but loves nature) and my father (a
doctor; I’m sure he will love the story-telling and historical
aspects).
I got into electronics by reading the Fun Way Into
Electronics books (with Dick’s face emblazoned on the
covers). So I was primarily curious about how DSE
became so successful and why Dick sold the business to
Woolworths, when he was clearly making a lot of money
out of it. The book answered my questions, but I ended up
enjoying many other aspects I hadn’t anticipated.
I knew that he is really into flying and went on some
famous adventures, but I didn’t realise the scope of his
achievements until I’d finished reading the book. He had
some close calls, and you can feel his pride in what he
achieved coming through the pages (it doesn’t seem too
boastful, although he drops plenty of names).
siliconchip.com.au
DICK
SMITH
‘Part Bear Grylls, part Bill Gates, but 100% Aussie larrikin.
Dick is a great innovator, philanthropist and adventurer,
who in my eyes can do no wrong.’
PAUL HOGAN
I understand now why he has dedicated so much of his
autobiography to his adventures.
This book is an excellent read for young or old; teenagers
and young adults will not only find his adventures
fascinating, but I think they will learn a great deal about
what Australia was like in the past. It also has some
fantastic lessons about how to be successful in life, have
strong morals and live life to its fullest.
Older readers will no doubt enjoy Dick’s recollections
of Australia of the past. It feels like another world, reading
about what life in Australia was like in the 50s, 60s, 70s
and 80s.
It was a pity that I could not write this review in time
to make the December issue, as this book would be a
great Christmas gift. If someone you know has a birthday
coming up and you have no idea what to get them, this
book would be a good choice due to its broad appeal and
reasonable cost. A quick search finds many shops selling
the hardcover version for well under $30.
Dick Smith – My Adventurous Life (352 pages) is published
by Allen & Unwin and is available from book stores, major
retailers and as an ebook online. The hardcover RRP is
$39.95, while the ebook has an RRP of $29.08.
SC
Australia's electronics magazine
January 2022 37
