Reginald Williams, 95; Founded Clothing Firm in Australia

Reginald Murphy Williams, 95, who went from dirty and dangerous jobs in the Australian outback to found one of the country’s best-known clothing lines, died Tuesday at his home near Toowoomba, west of Brisbane. The cause of death was not reported.

Williams was born on a small farm at Belalie in South Australia. His family later moved to Adelaide. Williams quit school at the age of 14 and set out to find work in the outback of northern Victoria state.

He worked on cattle ranches and joined an expedition to survey areas of Australia’s vast and arid interior.

While working in central Australia during the Depression of the 1930s, Williams began making boots and saddles for cowboys.

His work earned a reputation for quality, and he set up a factory in a shed behind his father’s house in Adelaide, selling boots by mail.

The company Williams started now makes about 600 pairs of boots a day, as well as moleskin trousers and flannel shirts, and sells them throughout the world. Williams sold the multimillion-dollar firm a few years ago but continued to act as a consultant.