For almost three decades, a clarion call has shaped Natalie Smith’s life: “It is God’s mission and I am a small part of it.”
That call has taken her from the northwest coast of Tasmania to Sierra Leone, eight years of service in Nigeria, leadership in Timor-Leste, training physiotherapists in Myanmar and, ultimately, back to Papua New Guinea, the country where her own story began.
Born in Tinsley Hospital in Baiyer River, Enga Province, Natalie spent the first ten years of her life in the remote village of Telefomin, where her parents served as Baptist missionaries.
Life was simple. The biggest excitement came when the Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) plane arrived, bringing supplies and visitors, or taking Natalie and her brothers to school or away for the holidays.
During school terms, they lived away from their parents in a missionary children’s home in Wewak.
“I hated it and missed home,” Natalie recalls of her first term away at just six years old.
“But then another older girl in the hostel said that I would never be alone if I had Jesus as my best friend. So, he became my best friend, and after that I was a much more settled child.”
When her family returned to Australia, Papua New Guinea remained an important part of Natalie’s story.
She chose occupational therapy because she wanted a career that was “useful”. But an office job in Australia was never part of Natalie’s career plans.
“I think because I grew up in another country, it made me more aware of the needs. I always wanted to do overseas work from when I was young,” she says.
After graduating, Natalie began her career in Tasmania before joining World Vision in Sierra Leone, where she was quite literally working in a war zone. Here, she taught survivors of the conflict how to use their artificial limbs. Her assignment was cut short when a military coup forced her to evacuate the country.
Less than a year later, she joined The Leprosy Mission. What followed was not a single assignment, but a lifetime of service.
Over the years that followed, her work took her to Nigeria, Timor-Leste, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea, taking on roles ranging from Prevention of Disability Officer and physiotherapy trainer to Country Leader. Today, she leads The Leprosy Mission Papua New Guinea, supporting a team of 25 local staff working across six provinces.
Papua New Guinea continues to record around 500 new cases of leprosy each year, with scores more unreported. Many people affected by the disease live in remote communities where mountains, rivers, swamps and limited health services make access to diagnosis and treatment extremely difficult.
Low literacy, poor education and gender-based violence have also been challenges that Natalie has encountered in Papua New Guinea.
Yet, Papua New Guinea’s beauty has never lost its hold on Natalie’s heart.
“It is a country of enormous diversity and beauty,” she explains.
One criterion of effective development is a simple question: ‘Will this community be better off even after the project concludes?’ The answer, of course, should always be a resounding ‘yes’.
This is why Natalie’s work in Papua New Guinea has focused on training local health staff in leprosy diagnosis and treatment.
“I look for the health workers who are motivated… who have a love for people. You can only work with people who are motivated and want to make a difference, either through or adjacent to the healthcare system.”
Natalie’s goal is to build her staff’s capacity so they can manage and run TLM-PNG with minimal support, she says.
Furthermore, she believes lasting change will result from strengthening local people, saying, “We can’t come in and take over, but we can look for ways to improve the system.”
At this year’s Still a thing Conference, Natalie will offer a glimpse into life where leprosy still exists. Join us as Natalie shares the stories, lessons and quiet faith that have shaped a lifetime of service.
Still a thing Conference 2026 will be held at Ridley College in Parkville, Melbourne, on 14 and 15 August.
Learn more and register for Still a thing Conference 2026.
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