Babette Smith’s passion for history has earned her a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community, as an author and historian.
The Blackheath author was surprised and thrilled to receive the award.
“It means I’m making some kind of impact on somebody which is what I want to do,” she said.
“Realising that people have appreciated what I’ve been doing, that is touching.”
Smith is the author of six books, four on Australian history, the latest, The Luck of the Irish, published last year. It was the result of a three-year investigation into the sinking of the convict ship the Hive, just south of Jervis Bay in 1835.
She regularly speaks at history forums and community groups about Australian history.
Her next book is about the secret life of 19th century South Australian artist Samuel Thomas Gill. While researching, Smith stumbled across Gill’s name in the convict records. She soon realised she had enough material for another book, as she dug deeper into the “fascinating jigsaw” of Gill’s life. Smith will head to Somerset, England and surrounds, in November where Gill was raised as background for her book which she hopes will be published in 2017.
But in the meantime she and a four-member committee are working towards the creation of a museum of Australian convict history - somewhere where people can access stories and photographs about convicts, in addition to a digital version.
She envisages a museum that pulls together Australia’s entire convict history, rather than the current scattering of convict information at specific convict sites.
“It could have huge benefits for cultural tourism and education,” Smith said.
When Smith’s not researching, she works as a mediator and has sat on tribunals for the health profession as a lay member. She was an official prison visitor for 12 years at jails in Silverwater and Lithgow in a mediation capacity.
In 1993 she was the first woman and non-barrister to be appointed CEO of the NSW Bar Association.
