R. M. Williams

Reginald M. Williams
R.M. Williams with his blue heeler in 1988.
Born	(1908-05-24)24 May 1908 Belalie North, South Australia
Died	4 November 2003(2003-11-04) (aged 95) Toowoomba, Queensland
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Entrepreneur, bushman

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 worldwide. He was married twice, had ten children, and left an enduring contribution to the Australian identity.

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. They married and returned to the bush, living off the land in the Flinders Ranges.

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. 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 Eidsvold, Queensland, vowing never to return. He remarried in 1955, had four more children, and died in his home on the Darling Downs in Queensland.