Percy McDonald Smith (1903-1982) was a priest in the

Anglican Church of Australia The Anglican Church of Australia, originally known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. In 2016, responding to a peer-reviewed study ...

. He was the first

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

, and the founder of St John's Hostel in

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

and St Francis House, a home for Aboriginal children in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

Career

Smith was the first

Priest-in-Charge A priest in charge or priest-in-charge (previously also curate-in-charge) in the Church of England is a priest in charge of a parish who is not its incumbent; they will normally work on a short-term contract and have less freedom to act within the ...

for the Anglican Church. He was also the first

of the

, Australia, founder of St John's Hostel in

and later the founder of St Francis House in the Adelaide suburb of

Semaphore South Semaphore South is a beachside suburb of Adelaide, in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. The Semaphore South Post Office opened on 3 November 1947 and closed in 1978. Semaphore South is located in the state electoral district of Lee and the f ...

at Glanville Hall. Smith began visiting

The Bungalow The Bungalow was an institution for Aboriginal Australian, Aboriginal children established in 1914 in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. It existed at several locations in Alice Springs (then called Stuart), Jay Creek, North ...

at the

Alice Springs Telegraph Station The Alice Springs Telegraph Station is located within the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve, four kilometres north of the Alice Springs town centre in the Northern Territory of Australia. Established in 1872 to relay messages be ...

in the 1930s. The St Francis House Boys' Home at Glanville was a dream of Smith; he talked to the parents about bringing boys down for education and employment. The manor became known as St Francis House: A Home for Inland Children, and over the next 14 years, more than 50 children found a home at St Francis. Former residents include Charles Perkins ,

Gordon Briscoe Gordon Briscoe AO (1938 – 30 June 2023) was an Aboriginal Australian academic and activist. In 1997, he was awarded a PhD from the Australian National University. He was also a soccer player. Early life Born in Alice Springs, Northern Terr ...

, John Moriarty , Les Nayda , and Inspector Bill Espie (Queens Medal for Bravery). Some notable sporting identities including

Vincent Copley Vincent Warrior Copley (born Vincent Gilbert Warrior; 24 December 1936 – 10 January 2022) was an Aboriginal Australian sportsman, activist, elder, and leader. Early life Vincent Gilbert Copley, usually known as Vince, was born into poverty ...

Australian rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

footballer

Richie Bray Richard W. Bray, known as Richie Bray, was an Aboriginal Australian rules footballer who played for the Port Adelaide Football Club. Early life and education As a child, Bray was a resident of St Francis House, a home for inland Aboriginal Aus ...

, Reverend Ken Hampton , and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

player Wally McArthur. The history of St Francis House has been written by former Australian test cricketer

Ashley Mallett Ashley Alexander Mallett (13 July 1945 – 29 October 2021) was an Australian cricketer who played in 38 Tests and 9 One Day Internationals between 1968 and 1980. Until Nathan Lyon, he was Australia's most successful off spin bowler since Worl ...

. Smith died in 1982.

Recognition and honours

Smith was awarded the

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the 1980

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the King's Official Birthday, reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into Order (honour), national or Dynastic order of knighthood, dy ...

in recognition of his service to Aboriginal welfare. His wife, Isabel Elizabeth Smith , was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

in the 1992

Australia Day Honours The Australian honours and awards system refers to all orders, decorations, and medals, as instituted by letters patent from the Monarch of Australia and countersigned by the Australian prime minister at the time, that have been progressively ...

in recognition of her service to children's welfare. The story of Smith's life was published in 1999 entitled, ''The Flower in the Desert: A Biography of Rev Canon P McD Smith MBE''. A film about his wife Isabel Smith called ''Finding Miss Almond'' is being made by director Mark Webber.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Percy 1903 births 1982 deaths 20th-century Australian Anglican priests