Kenneth Leslie Smith was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 28 December 1962. He is the second youngest of six children born of Les and Lillian Smith, who currently reside in Swan Hill, Victoria. At the age of 13, Ken and his family moved to Lake Boga (just south of Swan Hill), where his parents purchased a small motel and restaurant.

In January 1979, Ken joined the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as a Junior Recruit and progressed to become a Leading Seaman Writer in 1983. After his postings to Navy Office (Directorate of Sailors' Postings), LONSDALE, SWAN and COONAWARRA, he was granted a short service commission. He graduated from the Naval College in 1985.

Upon completion of the Supply Application Course, where he achieved the highest overall results, Acting Sub Lieutenant Smith joined HMAS CAIRNS in 1986 for consolidation training and supply duties. The following year Sub Lieutenant Smith joined HMAS FLINDERS as Supply Officer and in 1988 he took up the position of Deputy Supply Officer and Stores Accounting Officer at HMAS MORETON in Brisbane. While in that position, Lieutenant Smith was awarded a Defence Productivity Award for introducing a cost effective victualling system. After transferring to a permanent commission, and almost three years at MORETON, Lieutenant Smith joined Navy Office (Directorate of Naval Service Conditions) as a staff officer for salary related allowances. He was also Navy's Liaison Officer for the Australian Defence Force Activities Survey, which still lives on today collecting data for various pay cases.

In 1994, he joined Directorate of Supply - Navy to investigate and implement a computerised solution for Service (Non Public) Funds in Navy ships and establishments. This was achieved within two years and upon completion of that posting, Lieutenant Smith was selected for promotion to Lieutenant Commander first time in zone. Shortly after promotion, Lieutenant Commander Smith became the assistant to the Manager Navy Logistic Systems and undertook logistic systems development and strategic planning. A highlight of this posting was project managing the transition of that organisation into the joint (tri-service) organisation - Directorate of Logistic Information Management (previously, an amalgam of six organisations located in two cities).

Having achieved very good results on Supply Charge Course in 1997, Lieutenant Commander Smith was given a choice of three ships to select for Supply Charge at sea, and he chose HMAS HOBART, a destroyer base-ported in Sydney, NSW. He joined HOBART in April 1998, and left the ship, and retired from the Navy in 1999.

Upon leaving the Navy, Ken immediately became a working director of his own IT company, Data.Exe (ACT) Pty Limited, which he and his former wife had set up seven years prior. He undertook further training and development in IT fields, including becoming a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer in 2000, and a Quicken Accredited Trainer in 2002. While with Data.Exe, Ken’s role was varied, but was primarily Networks, Point of Sale, and Accounting Software training. During this period Ken also taught computerised accounting at the Canberra Institute of Technology.

The call of the country however, lured Ken to rural Queensland in 2003, where he continued some computing contracts (mainly internet based), and established a small-business consultancy. More interestingly though, Ken setup a Palm and Cycad plant nursery from scratch, and also developed his recently acquired 12 hectares farm in Traveston, Queensland with a small citrus orchard. It was here that Ken developed his current passion for horticulture and rural pursuits.

Ken married in 1985 and has two children. Unfortunately, this marriage failed in 2005 and his former wife and children now live in Queensland. In 2007, Ken met and married his second wife, Rhea. He lived lived in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines till he separated from Rhea in December 2008.

While in the Philippines, Ken continued creating and maintaining online businesses through his venture ‘Kenrhea Group’. In December 2008, Ken moved to Bangkok, Thailand where he currently resides, and services a small number of businesses with their online website and database needs.

Ken is not particularly active in sports, but when he was younger, he was a very keen ballroom dancer, and won an Australasian title in 1974. In later years, he developed an interest in sailing, and represented Navy in several State and National titles. In 1996 he represented the Australian Defence Force at the World Tasar Championships in Brixham UK, where he was placed 8th. Today, however, when not working, Ken enjoys singing, dancing, playing his guitar, travelling and his nightly games of 8 ball.

Ken has only one ambition in life. To sing ‘Stumblin’ In’ with Suzie Quatro in a Bangkok Pub - he might be waiting for a while.