Dick Smith, 2013. Photograph by Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0; source: Wikimedia Commons.

Dick Smith

Australian electronics entrepreneur whose stores, catalogues and computers introduced a generation to electronics and programming.

Biographical Information

Known for	Entrepreneur, Founder
Born	18 March 1944, Roseville, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Dick Smith founded Dick Smith Electronics in Sydney in 1968. An electronics enthusiast and amateur radio operator, he grew the business from a small installation service into a nationwide retailer of components, kits and consumer electronics.

Smith's catalogues mixed products with practical technical information and became important references for Australian hobbyists. During the personal-computer boom his company offered affordable branded machines including the System 80, Super-80 kit, VZ-200 and VZ-300, as well as computers from Commodore and other manufacturers.

Smith later sold the company and became widely known for aviation, publishing, philanthropy and support for Australian enterprise. His electronics business remains closely associated with the country's early home-computing culture.

Dick Smith, 2013. Photograph by Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0; source: Wikimedia Commons.