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and the
Richards family sold their remaining interest in the company to Chrysler Dodge Distributors Limited in 1946. The name was changed again, to Chrysler Dodge DeSoto Distributors Limited, and the parent company also changed its name, to Chrysler Dodge Distributors (Holdings) Pty Ltd. In 1951 the American
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automobiles became its main activity. In 1936 the recently formed
Australian company Chrysler Dodge Distributors Limited purchased a financial stake in TJ Richards & Sons, taking a controlling interest the following year. In 1941 TJ Richards & Sons was renamed to Richards Industries Limited
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cars (he returned to head the company when his father retired). T. J. Richards & Sons was founded in 1916 and opened a new workshop and showroom in an adjoining building at 132 Pirie Street in 1917, but three years later sold the whole complex, which occupied substantial frontages on
Hindmarsh
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H. E. (Henry Ernest) (29 April 1878 – 18 May 1915) married
Marguerite (or Margaret) Josephine "Daisy" Evans (17 October 1882 – 25 May 1947) on 4 November 1903. He worked as a coachbuilder for his father, but died after crashing his motorcycle into a
40:
who migrated to
Australia 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
86:, 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
19:(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
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52:, 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.
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Richards 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
189:(now Le Cornu's furniture warehouse) and manufacture concentrated on their "King of the Road" motor bodies, which were built on chassis made by such companies as
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From 1911 the
Hindmarsh Square premises was advertised as "King of the Road Works" and "Australia's leading coachbuilders". In 1914 the firm began selling
60:
Richards first employment was with
Adamson Brothers, a farm machinery manufacturer in Kapunda. He tried other trades, including cordial manufacturing in
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Square, Pirie Street and Hyde Street and included two 3-storey buildings and moved to a large new factory covering 14 acres (5.7 ha) on Leader Street
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and was in 1908 elected president of the
Coachbuilders' and Wheelwrights' Society and was a prominent member of the Chamber of Manufactures,
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on 13 April 1899. He took over as
Chairman of Directors of T. J. Richards & Sons with the retirement of his father, was Mayor of
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H. C. (Herbert Clarence) Richards (30 January 1876 – 11 April 1949) married Mary Ann Macklin (11 January 1873 – 15 November 1968) of
83:
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Eveline (Evelyn?) Matilda Jane Richards (1 October 1892 – ) married Arthur William Temme (29 Aug 1888 – ) on 26 June 1914, home at
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C. A. (Claude Alfred Victor) Richards (11 October 1882– ) was for many years managing director of T. J. Richards & Sons.
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280:(Beatrice) Alice Richards (30 September 1886 – ) married John George "Jack" Emmett (24 Apr 1884 – ) on 10 December 1913
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W. E. (William Egbert Tobias) Richards (23 June 1884 – ) married Annie Lillian Evans (15 March 1884 – ) on 6 April 1909
744:
Gavin Farmer, Great Ideas in Motion, A history of Chrysler in Australia 1946–1981, Ilinga Books, 2010, pages 1 to 11
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Max Gregory, King of the Road, TJ Richards, Coachbuilder, Restored Cars Number 202, Sept–Oct 2010, pages 10 to 15
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141:, and the Master Carriage and Waggon Builders' Association. He retired from business in 1911 and the firm became
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before working as a blacksmith in Unley around 1881. He learned the craft of coachbuilding from Mr. L. Maraun of
126:, including his "King of the Road" design and despite the prevailing depression had his staff working overtime.
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A. S. (Alfred Samuel) Richards (7 April 1890 – ) married Ada Lily Cole (4 Feb 1890 – ) on 25 September 1915
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motor-cycles from premises at 95–99 Pulteney Street. The following year they won the exclusive agency for
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Mabel Agnes Annie Richards (28 October 1894 – ), who may have married G. L. "Leslie" Heath of Kingswood
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C. G. (Cecil Graham) Richards (19 November 1880 – ) married Ethel M. Raven on 2 August 1904.
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45:, then the site of a copper mine. John and Catherine went on to have total of 15 children.
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474:, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 11 December 2012
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automobiles, while H. C. Richards independently opened an agency in Blyth Street for
69:
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In Australian English "dam" refers to the pond as well as the retaining structure.
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Their home until 1914 was "Mundaring", Lower Mitcham, then 93 Cambridge Terrace,
207:, covering 11 acres. In the same year the company forged a relationship with the
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Richards married Matilda Emily Freeman (16 February 1854 – 25 January 1938) of
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bought 85% of Chrysler Dodge Distributors (Holdings) Pty Ltd and renamed it
122:. By 1905 his display at the Autumn Show exhibited some 35 designs, mostly
37:
661:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 12 September 1914. p. 19
860:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 13 December 1932. p. 15
832:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 10 September 1904. p. 6
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This article covers history of Holden's as well as Richards' factories.
577:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 15 September 1893. p. 7
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888:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 30 October 1920. p. 29
689:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 24 January 1938. p. 12
355:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 21 February 1844. p. 3
493:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 25 October 1873. p. 1
404:"Agricultural Implement & General Machine Manufactories. Kapunda"
145:, and added motor body building to their range around the same time.
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763:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 20 March 1936. p. 45
443:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 30 March 1935. p. 23
633:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 11 April 1911. p. 6
605:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 2 March 1905. p. 10
521:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 29 July 1939. p. 24
326:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 18 April 1908. p. 7
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Richards was a keen gardener and player of croquet and lawn bowls.
549:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 6 March 1909. p. 7
412:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 18 July 1868. p. 4
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804:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 21 May 1915. p. 9
383:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 7 June 1867. p. 3
72:, which led in 1885 to his opening a small coachbuilding shop in
717:. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 1 May 1920. p. 9
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This reference has more details of T. J. Richards's family.
76:, Adelaide. In 1887 he first exhibited a waggonette at the
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He served for many years as a coachbuilding judge at
924:Australian founders of automobile manufacturers
211:and subsequently the production of bodies for
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139:Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society
248:on 31 March 1875. Their children included:
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755:"In An Adelaide Motor Body Building Works"
709:"Valuable City Premises, Hindmarsh Square"
468:'Richards, Tobias John Martin (1850–1939)'
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82:Richards moved to West Mitcham, near the
435:"Diamond Wedding Celebration at Malvern"
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203:In 1928 a second factory was opened at
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852:"Ambulance Wrecked on North Terrace"
513:"Founder of Big S.A. Industry Dead"
472:Australian Dictionary of Biography
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490:The South Australian Advertiser
135:Australian Natives' Association
919:Australian automotive pioneers
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347:"The Montacute Copper Mine"
17:Tobias John Martin Richards
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914:Coachbuilders of Australia
796:"Fatalities and Accidents"
152:Subsequent Company history
574:South Australian Register
409:South Australian Register
380:South Australian Register
352:South Australian Register
323:South Australian Register
298:Malvern, South Australia
143:TJ Richards & Sons
681:"Function at Keswick"
569:"The September Show"
262:Member of Parliament
230:Chrysler Corporation
209:Chrysler Corporation
48:Richards grew up in
375:"Coroners Inquests"
318:"Concerning People"
168:motor vehicles and
234:Chrysler Australia
131:Sydney Royal Shows
21:Chrysler Australia
597:"The Autumn Show"
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553:15 December
525:11 December
497:17 December
447:16 December
416:17 December
387:11 December
359:17 December
330:17 December
908:Categories
653:"The Show"
625:"Personal"
304:References
198:Terraplane
178:Studebaker
32:Early life
288:Kingswood
112:Jamestown
43:Montacute
225:Plymouth
213:Chrysler
205:Mile End
195:Hudson's
100:Snowtown
38:Cornwall
187:Keswick
182:Oakland
124:sulkies
116:Kapunda
88:Terowie
50:Kapunda
27:History
240:Family
221:DeSoto
108:Kadina
104:Gawler
62:Gawler
56:Career
268:dray.
258:Unley
217:Dodge
191:Dodge
170:Rudge
166:Swift
894:2012
866:2012
838:2014
810:2012
769:2012
723:2012
695:2012
667:2012
639:2012
611:2012
583:2012
555:2012
527:2012
499:2012
449:2012
418:2012
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223:and
193:and
174:Pope
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158:Dixi
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