Richard was resident at Lefroy in 1882 when he owned a small parcel of shares in the Wanderer Gold Mining Company.
[7] He studied at the Ballarat School of Mines, and worked for a time in an assay office at Charters Towers, where he made some improvements to the systems employed there.
[1] Wesley Hall retired in 1891, ushering in a new power elite, who attempted to interfere in technical matters, which Richard resisted strenuously.
[14] By this time the Mine had collected a technical staff of expertise rivalled by no other company in Australia, with the possible exception of BHP, with salaries to match.
[1] In retirement he spent much time with his sons who were sheep-farming in the north-west of the State, did some munitions work during The Great War and campaigned for an improved railway system to alleviate the effects of drought on farmers.