Laurie Smith is is a retired zoologist and Honorary Associate of the Western Australian Museum. His work there spanned more than forty years and included the development and management of the Museum’s collections through field work. His scientific work includes publications on the ecology and systematics of terrestrial vertebrates in Western Australia and Indonesia. Another of his interests is the history of Western Australia, especially the impact of the maritime expeditions of the nineteenth century. His poetry and essays have been published in various Australian journals, including Westerly, Tamba and Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language.