Richard Smith (businessman)

He came to South Australia in June 1863 aboard the Countess of Fife,[3] under engagement to the firm of George P. Harris of Hindley Street,[b] and transferred to Gawler Place in 1864.

[1] Smith was employed as a travelling salesman, serving customers in the rapidly developing districts of the South East and Yorke Peninsula.

Smith was the ideal man for the job — knowledgeable, tireless and reliable, ever on the lookout for fresh fields to conquer, yet not one for self-aggrandizement — and was taken on as a partner in 1866.

The company never looked back, but grew into one of the largest firm of traders in the Southern Hemisphere, with a reputation for good products and a fair deal.

Around December 1918 Smith's health began to fail, and only attended his office intermittently, then died after a few weeks' incapacity.