R. M. Williams
Reginald Murray Williams AO, CMG (24 May 1908 – 4 November 2003) was an Australian bushman and entrepreneur who rose from a swagman, to a millionaire. Widely known as just 'R.M.', he was born at Belalie North near Jamestown in the Mid North, 200 kilometres north of Adelaide, into a pioneering settler family working and training horses. R.M. had many adventures in Australia's rugged outback as a bushman, and became known for creating an Australian style of bushwear recognised world wide. He was married twice, had ten children, and left an enduring contribution to the Australian identity.
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[edit] Personal life
At 10 years old, Williams' family moved to Adelaide so that he and his two sisters could attend school there. School did not agree with him and so, at 13, he packed his swag and left for the land he loved. At 18 he started work as a camel driver and spent 3 years trekking through the Australian desert, living with aborigines and learning to survive the harsh conditions. During the great depression, with the lack of work, Williams returned to Adelaide where he met Thelma Ena Cummings.[1] They married and returned to the bush, living off the land in the Flinders Ranges.[2]
After his marriage broke down in the 1950s, Williams purchased 55 hectares of land at the rear of Yatala Labour Prison South Australia. He constructed a homestead, planted vineyards and thousands of roses, and ran rodeos on the floodplain of Dry Creek.[3] When the land was compulsory acquired during the time of former State Premier Sir Thomas Playford, Williams left South Australia for his Rockybar property in Queensland, vowing never to return. He remarried in 1955, had four more children, and died in his home on the Darling Downs in Queensland.
[edit] Bushwear
[edit] Starting out
Williams learned his leatherworking skills from a horseman called Dollar Mick, making bridles, pack saddles and riding boots. In 1932, with his son's illness and the expense of hospital treatment, he was in need of money and began selling his saddles to Sir Sidney Kidman (a wealthy pastoralist). Williams soon had a small factory running in his father's back shed in Adelaide that rapidly expanded. To address financial problems, Williams became involved with the successful gold mine, Nobles Nob, near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.[4]
[edit] Products
His most successful products were handcrafted (mostly elastic side) riding boots, with the unique feature of all being one piece of leather and stitched up the back. To this day, The R. M. Williams Company still makes their boots with 70 hand processes and a single piece of leather. The Cowley family are the major owners of R.M. Williams Ltd.
Some R. M. Williams products are now made outside of Australia (mostly in China and SE Asia), this includes t-shirts, caps, seasonal shirts/shorts, polo shirts and some leather wallets.[5]
[edit] Honours
In 1985 Williams was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), for services to the outback community.[6]
In 1992 he was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), for service to business and to the community.[7]
In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal.[8]
[edit] Legacy
- The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame. Originating as an idea by artist Hugh Sawrey, RM Williams was an original board member of this institution that was opened in Longreach Queensland, Australia., by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on 29 April 1988.
- Founded the Australian Roughriders Association.
- Helped to form the Equestrian Federation of Australia (1951).
- Led a committee which initiated and planned the Bicentennial National Trail.[9]
A major road in South Australia's mid north, which runs between Stanley Flat (near Clare) and Hawker, via Jamestown has been named the RM Williams Way in his honour.[10]
[edit] Published works
- Williams, R.M. (1998). A song in the desert. Pymble, New South Wales: Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0-207-19832-2.
- Williams, R.M.; Ruhen, Olaf (1984). Beneath whose hand / the autobiography of R.M. Williams. South Melbourne: Pan Macmillan Australia. ISBN 0-333-38087-8.
- Williams, R.M. (1972). The bushman's handcrafts. Netley, South Australia: R.M. Williams Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-9599299-0-8.
- Williams, R.M. (1995). I Once Met a Man. Australia: Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0-207-19024-0.
Other book by RM Williams...
- Animal Stories ...... Outback Publishing ISBN 0-9579709-1.9
[edit] References
- ^ South Australian Marriages, Registrations 1917-1937; compiled by South Australian Genealogy & Heraldry Soc. Inc., published in Sep 2002 by SAGHS Inc. and Macbeath Genealogy Services Pty. Ltd. ISBN 0 947 158 96 0
- ^ R.M. Williams (1908-2003) Retrieved on 19/6/2006
- ^ "DRY CREEK - LINEAR PARK WALKLEY HEIGHTS". Postcards SA. 22 May 2006. http://www.postcards.sa.com.au/features/dry_creek_lin_park.html. Retrieved 2006-07-19.
- ^ "R.M. Williams (1908-2003)". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2003-11-05. Archived from the original on 2006-04-21. http://web.archive.org/web/20060421052311/http://www.abc.net.au/btn/australians/rmwilliams.htm. Retrieved 2006-06-19.
- ^ AsiaPulse News (November 2002). "AUSTRALIA'S RM WILLIAMS TO START MANUFACTURING PRODUCTS IN CHINA". Look Smart, Find articles. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1523/is_200211/ai_n7253186. Retrieved 2006-06-19.
- ^ It's an Honour: CMG
- ^ It's an Honour: AO
- ^ It's an Honour: Centenary Medal
- ^ Bicentennial National Trail
- ^ "RM Williams Way (B80)". Road Photos & Information: South Australia. http://expressway.paulrands.com/gallery/roads/sa/numbered/b80/index.html. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
[edit] Further reading
- ABC Audio (2004), I Once Met a Man, R.M. Williams, 4 CD Set, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
