R. M. WILLIAMS
If
there is one piece of equipment or a garment that identifies the Australian
outback it is a pair of R.M. Williams elastic-sided boots.
Once worn only by stockmen, RM boots today can be seen on Fifth Avenue in New York, Regent Street in London or any town and city in Australia.
RM began making his boots in the early 1930s. The same one piece of leather style is used today.
The company that RM founded has stores across Australia and around the world and manufactures in Australia a wide range of men's, women's and children's clothing.
For an insight into R.M. Williams products, as well as the man and the company he founded, here's a selection of articles from back issues of R.M. Williams OUTBACK magazine.
Longhorn keeps on rolling
Issue 37 Oct/Nov 2004
The R.M.Williams Longhorn Express is a regular sight
on the roads of Australia. The Western Star Constellation prime mover, spectacularly
painted in the R.M.Williams colours, has clocked up more than 100,000 kilometres
crisscrossing the country during the past three years.
Flagship
Bondi store
Issue 36 Aug/Sept 2004
R.M.Williams new store at Sydney’s Bondi Junction has made quite a
splash. Located in the expanded and remodeled Bondi Junction Westfield
complex, the new outlet
is an up-dated setting for the R.M.
Boot
tree dreaming
Issue 35 June/July 2004
Barry Dew has worn R.M.Williams boots and clothing for all of his adult life,
but it’s only been in the past four years that he has been able to preach
what he practices. “It probably took me two years to get this RM franchise
in Alice Springs,” he says with a chuckle, “but it’s been worth it”.
Where
it all began
Issue 33, Feb-Mar 2004
Many of the character traits for which Reginald Murray Williams became renowned
- courage, endurance, versatility, creativity, adaptability, resilience,
determination, practicality, survivability - may have been inherited, but
all were tested and proven from 1922 to 1932, between RM's mid-teens and
mid-twenties.
RM's
formative years
Issue 32, Dec 03-Jan 04
Many of the character traits for which Reginald Murray Williams became renowned
- courage, endurance, versatility, creativity, adaptability, resilience,
determination, practicality, survivability - may have been inherited, but
all were tested and proven from 1922 to 1932, between RM's mid-teens and
mid-twenties.
L.R.
McManus stands the test of time
Issue 31, Aug - Sep 03
Drovers' teams used to walk through the doors of L.R.McManus Pty Ltd in Quilpie,
western Queensland, looking pretty rough and leave looking a whole lot better.
RM: 95 remarkable
years
Issue 29, Jun-Jul 03
R.M.Williams, the bushman whose name has become an international brand, has
just turned 95. His life is a story of adventure and remarkable achievement
unmatched in Australia in the 20th century. Despite his success, RM rejected
fame and fortune at the peak of his career, opting instead for a life in
the bush where he says be belongs.
RM's
Percy Street Museum
One of the few company museums in Australia, the new permanent exhibition
at the first home of the RM Williams company provides a fascinating insight
into outback life.
RM
- a living national treasure
Issue 1, Oct - Nov 98
Meet RM Williams, the man behind the legend, who has described his life as "the
long, slow, slogging climb from bagman, swagman, bottom dog to white tie
and tails at Governor's parties .. climbing to the pinnacle of success only
to slide willingly down the long slope to a humble but happy campfire where
I belong."
The
Aussie stockwhip
Issue 2, Dec 98 - Jan 99
Skilled craftsmen at RM Williams' Adelaide factory continue the company's
long tradition of making fine whips by hand. See how it's done.
The address
on the boot tug
Issue 4, Apr - May 99
Soon after Reg Williams began making bush saddlery and boots in the early
1930s at Nepabunna in the remote Gammon Ranges of northern South Australia,
his young family's health forced him to return to Adelaide.
Wool
denim jeans
Issue 2, Dec 98 - Jan 99
R.M. Williams, one of the first denim jeans manufacturers in Australia, has
added wool denim to its product line.
