Laurie Smith

A Queenslander, Laurie was Australian epee champion in 1952 and 1954. He was in the Australian team at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and competed under the name Laurence Harding-Smith.

He competed in the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica in 1966 and managed the Australian team at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1970.

Laurie Smith was of a generation of Australian fencers including Ivan Lund, Hil Van Djk, Brian McCowage, David McKenzie, Charles Stanmore and John Fethers who led Australian fencing in the 1950s and 60s and competed successfully overseas.

He also helped to advance the sport, serving two terms as President of the Australian Amateur Fencing Association during a time of renewal. Laurie Smith as an outstanding leader of Australian fencing who, with Lund and McKenzie, was a member of the national executive that restructured Australian fencing after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. They saw the need to focus on greater participation on youth fencing and introduced the first national U18 championships

Laurie Smith passed away in Brisbane on 4 July at the age of 91.