Patricia Jean Adam-Smith, AO, OBE (31 May 1924 – 20 September 2001) was an Australian author, historian and servicewoman. She was a prolific writer on a range of subjects covering history, folklore and the preservation of national traditions,^[1] and wrote a two-part autobiography. Her other notable works include The Anzacs (1978), Australian Women at War (1984) and Prisoners of War (1992).

Life

Born out of wedlock, Patricia Jean Smith was adopted by railway workers, her mother a Caretaker and her father a Ganger.^[2] She lived in a number of small Victorian country towns and was educated at small country schools. She enlisted as a nursing Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) during the Second World War, serving from 17 March 1943 to 14 July 1944. Later, she was the first female Australian articled seaman when she worked on an Australian merchant ship from 1954 to 1960 and trained as a radio operator. She then lived in Hobart, Tasmania, from 1960 to 1967, where she worked as an Adult Education Officer. In 1970, she took the position of Manuscripts Field Officer for the State Library of Victoria, a job she held until 1982.

From 1976 to 2001, Adam-Smith was a member of the Board of Directors for the Royal Humane Society Australasia, and from 1983 to 2001 she was a Committee Member of the Museum of Victoria. Her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1994 was made in recognition of her service to community history, particularly through the preservation of national traditions and folklore and the recording of oral histories.

While her main study of and work in oral history was carried out in Australia, Ireland, England and the United States, Adam-Smith's research took her to over 60 countries.^[1]

Literary career

Adam-Smith wrote on a wide range of subjects, but her deepest interest was Australian railways.^[1] She contributed actively to Australia's literary community, and in 1973 she was State President of Australian Writers in Victoria and the Federal President of the Fellowship of Australian Writers.

In 1978 her book The Anzacs shared The Age Book of the Year Award and was made into a 13-part TV series.

Her autobiography was published in three parts: Hear The Train Blow, the award-winning Good-bye Girlie, and There was a Ship.

Awards

• 1978: The Age Book of the Year Award for The Anzacs^[3]
• 1980: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire^[4]
• 1993: Order of Australian Association Book Prize for Prisoners of War
• 1994: Awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia^[5]
• 1995: Audiobook of the Year, Benalla Award, for Good-bye Girlie
• 1995: TDK Australian Audio Book Awards, Unabridged Non-Fiction Category, for Good-bye Girlie