ISBN 978-1-923443-02-0
PAPERBACK
ISBN 978-1-923443-45-7
HARDCOVER
A Most Chequered Career
Samuel Francis Smith 1811-1899
The story of a man whose forgotten legacy and “chequered career” reveal a complex and intriguing life in early Australian history.
Because of ignorance or shame, Samuel Francis Smith’s name and infuence in the family he pioneered in Australia was not mentioned in the present generation. Thanks to his obituarist, who quipped he had “a most chequered career” the search to discover the what that meant brought to light a complex and intriguing life. This book tells Samuel’s story.
“A Most Chequered Career: Samuel Francis Smith 1811-1889 is an unusually moving and highly readable work of Australian history. It’s both a detective story and a triumph of compassion for a flawed individual, off ering profound insights into the lives of Australian colonists in the mid-nineteenth century. With a steady, compassionate gaze, John Smith breathes life into his errant great-great grandfather, reminding us that even our most flawed ancestors deserve to be honored.”
DR KAI JENSEN
About the Author
John H Smith, MA, PhD, ThM, is a writer and retired Uniting Church Minister who served in Western Australia (1974– 2000) and Mark the Evangelist, North Melbourne, Victoria 2000-2013.
He has published on WA Church History, the Church’s involvement in War, Monastic history, spirituality and theology, and contributed regularly to the North and West Melbourne News.