Born Toungoo, Burma
7 January, 1942
Educated in Perth after spending his early years in India, Don Smart gave long and distinguished service to Australia in International Hockey from 1961 to 1972.
A left-winger of left-side striker, he ranks with Australia’s most skilful players, a fact confirmed early in his career when he made an auspicious International debut by scoring a goal in the first 20 seconds of play against New Zealand in 1961.
Smart appeared in almost 100 international matches and three Olympic hockey tournaments, winning a bronze medal in 1964 in Tokyo and a silver medal in Mexico City in 1968. He also played in the inaugural World Cup tournament in Barcelona in 1971.
The compactly-built Smart had exceptional pace over the first five meters. He was also able to weave a path through opposing defences with deft stick work and finish off attacking moves with powerful shots at goal.
Always at his best on a firm surface, he built a reputation for scoring memorable goals, some scored in an unorthodox manner. Pakistani and Indian players held him in high regard.
At Western Australian level, Smart represented the State in the schoolboy teams of 1956 and 1957, the Colts in 1960 and then the seniors from 1961-68 and again in 1970 and 1975. National commitments kept him out of the W.A. side in the other years.
He was instrumental in helping W.A. to win seven of the nine senior Australian championship carnivals in which he played. W.A. were runners-up in the other two.
Smart was a promising cricketer in his youth, earning state squad selection as a batsman in 1961 before opting for a hockey career.