The death of Bruce Smith of leukemia in 2001, at the age of 68, deprived Sydney of one of its most erudite and inspiring theologians, public speakers and teachers. A prominent Anglican spokesman on ethics and religion during the late 1960s and early ‘70s, Smith was prominent in the public media, particularly in televised debates about Christianity. As late as 2000, he was involved in the Ten Network series Why Dig That Up?, built around his experiences as an archaeologist in Italy and the eastern Mediterranean.
Smith grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. He attended Sydney Grammar School, where he was best known for his sporting exploits, winning a State championship in swimming in 1949. He began to train for Christian ministry at Moore Theological College in 1952 and graduated in theology and later as a bachelor of divinity from London University. Ordained in 1956, he ministered in parishes in both Australia and Britain.