[2] Smith became a member of the West End Rowing Club, joining the December 1948 eight crew as bow.

The crew became the New Zealand Empire Games Eight and underwent strenuous training on the Waikato River at Mercer and Ngāruawāhia and on lake Karapiro.

The boat to be used at the Empire Games was the tried and true Charles G. Herdman, a one piece Towns Skiff owned by West End Rowing Club.

[3] At the 1950 British Empire Games he won a silver medal rowing in the bow as part of the men's eight alongside crew members Donald Adam, Kerry Ashby, Murray Ashby, Bruce Culpan, Thomas Engel, Grahame Jarratt, Don Rowlands and Bill Tinnock.

[4] In a tight race, the New Zealand eight were beaten by Australia by a margin of 0.30 metres (1 ft), recording a time of 6:27.5, 0.5 seconds behind the winning boat.