T. J. Richards

Tobias John Martin Richards (3 February 1850 – 28 July 1939), invariably referred to as "T. J. Richards", was a South Australian coachbuilder and motor body manufacturer who founded the company which would eventually form the manufacturing base of Chrysler Australia Ltd.

He was the eldest son of John Martin Richards (1824 – 2 June 1867) and his wife Catherine T. Richards (1823 – 15 April 1908), née Reed, Wesleyan Methodists from Cornwall. She migrated to Van Diemens Land in 1842, where she met and married John, who had a position with the Tasmanian government. They had one daughter before moving to South Australia, with some of her relatives, in 1845. Tobias was born at Montacute, then the site of a copper mine. John and Catherine went on to have total of 15 children.

He grew up in Kapunda, and was still living there when his father, a teacher and journalist, drowned in the waters of a local dam while intoxicated. Tobias Richards was a witness at the inquest.

His first employment was with Adamson Brothers, a farm machinery manufacturer in Kapunda. He tried other trades, including cordial manufacturing in Gawler before working as a blacksmith in Unley around 1881. He learned the craft of coachbuilding from Mr. L. Maraum of Hindmarsh Square or Pirie Street, which led in 1885 to his opening a small coachbuilding shop in Pulteney Street, Adelaide. In 1887 he first exhibited a waggonette at the Adelaide Show

He moved to West Mitcham, near the railway station, some time before 1889. At the 1893 Adelaide Show he exhibited a "first-class assortment of vehicles, comprising expresses, waggonettes, and buggies". By 1896 he was showing his firm's products at such country shows in Terowie, Mount Barker, Mount Pleasant, Snowtown, Gawler, Kadina, Jamestown, Kapunda. By 1900 he had additional premises on Hindmarsh Square. By 1905 his display at the Autumn Show exhibited some 35 designs, mostly sulkies, including his "King of the Road" design and despite the prevailing depression had his staff working overtime.

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