Reginald Murray (RM) Williams is a legendary Australian
bushman, and the founder of the RM Williams company, bushman's outfitters.
The story of the venerable RM Williams company begins in the year 1932, in the remote Gannon Ranges of South Australia. RM, a 20 year old jackaroo, had been supporting his young family by manufacturing sturdy and inexpensive leather boots and saddlery equipment. RM realised that his work must have been good, as he quickly sold all that he could turn out to the itinerant jackaroos passing through his area.
When the great depression hit Australia, the work dried up, and the desperately poor RM moved his family to the South Australian capital, Adelaide. RM's father let the rear of his house to the family, where RM eked out a living making saddles and elastic sided riding boots, which were to become the fledgeling company's most famous product.
Through the hard years, RM's business grew, and by the end of the 1930's it was established as a brand of quality, famous thoughout stockman's circles as the manufacturer of choice, selling entirely though catalogue and mail order.
The brand achieved prominence in the big smoke in the 1970's and '80s, when a chain of retail stores was opened, selling the broad range of hard-wearing, quintisentially Australian clothing and footware. During the mid 1990's the brand achieved international prominence as supermodels and industrialists discovered the great looking and comfortable elastic sided boots.
RM, still alive at the time of writing, is a noted Aussie philanthopist, supporting bushmen and bushwomen and founding the Stockmans Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland, in Australia's bicentennial year 1988.
NOT CUT AND PASTE -- ADAPTED FROM RM WILLIAMS CORPORATE MATERIALS