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.
Williams had many adventures in Australia's rugged outback as a bushman, and became known for creating an Australian style of bushwear clothing and footwear recognised worldwide and the company that bore his name.
[4] Williams learned his leather-working skills from an Aboriginal stockman called "Dollar Mick" Smith,[7] making bridles, pack saddles and riding boots near Nepabunna in the northern Flinders Ranges.
He set up a workshop and employed local Adnyamathanha people from the Nepabunna Mission, who played an important part in building up his business between 1932 and 1934.
[8] In 1932, with his son's illness and the expense of hospital treatment, he was in need of money and began selling his saddles to Sir Sidney Kidman, a wealthy pastoralist.
[citation needed] Williams sold the business in 1988 to the long-established South Australian stock and station agents Bennett & Fisher Limited.
[citation needed] The bush businessman has left several legacies: A major road in South Australia's mid north, which runs between Stanley Flat (near Clare) and Hawker, via Jamestown has been named the RM Williams Way in his honour.