The family moved to Fremantle in 1922, which was to provide the opportunity for Dick and his younger brother Donald to pursue studies in agricultural science at the University of Western Australia (UWA).
His thesis for the doctorate was entitled 'History, Bionomics, and Control of Pests of the Australian Pastoral Industry'.
He joined the CSIR - later to become the CSIRO - in 1937 as a temporary research officer for Western Australia.
Ultimately he moved to Canberra and progressed to become assistant chief of the Division of Entomology in 1965.
He died in Canberra, having outlived five siblings from the family of Leonard and Constance Norris (née Wright).