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His only weakness was a dislike for paperwork which often resulted in long delays before written opinions
were provided, and later, as a judge, before reserved judgments were written. Otherwise, he was well regarded as
a diligent hardworking and capable judge. He wrote with clarity and simplicity of style, and neither indulged in
prolixity, and nor did he seek to impress with unnecessary shows of great learning. He conducted his court with
courtesy and was considered particularly expert at the criminal law and the law of evidence.
Whilst living in Darwin he contracted melioidosis, (Nightcliff Gardener’s Disease), a tropical disease which
led to his premature retirement and ultimately to his death. He died at Adelaide on 4 June 1991. His body was
cremated.
The Advertiser (Adelaide), 16 December 1983; Northern Territory Law Reports v, vii–ix, 1994; The News (Adelaide), 15 December 1983;
Northern Territory News, 9 March 1985; personal information kindly supplied by Mrs P Rice & H Rice; P J Rice, Biographical note, undated;
Rice J ‘The Court As It Was’, 1986, 2 Australian Bar Review 50; Transcript of Ceremonial Sittings of the Supreme Court of the Northern
Territory, Darwin, 8 March 1985, Alice Springs 15 April 1985; Transcript of Memorial Sittings of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory,
Darwin, 11 June 1991, Alice Springs, 12 June 1991; Transcript of Proceedings of the Central District Court, Adelaide, South Australia,
15 December 1983; Who’s Who in Australia, 1991.
DEAN MILDREN, Vol 3.RICHARDS, ARCHIBALD EZRA (ARCH) (1915–1989), bookkeeper, station hand, public servant, was born
in Greenslopes Hospital, Brisbane, on 6 March 1915, second of four sons of William Robert Richards and his wife
Clementine nee Hern. Arch’s father had served with the Australian forces in France in the First World War and won
the Military Cross (MC). His mother had a small shop at Maroon in southern Queensland.
Arch was educated at Wallaces Creek School and Boonah High School. He would have liked to continue with his
education but there was no money to allow this. After leaving school, he studied bookkeeping by correspondence.
He tried selling for Gilmores, and worked as a farm hand at Coolin Coolin Station which was quite well known for
the many famous visitors who were welcomed by the Bell sisters, among whom reputedly was the then Prince of
Wales and the writer Agatha Christie. In 1939, Arch was offered a job travelling with four pedigree bulls, by sea to
Darwin, and then to Wave Hill station. The Second World War was declared while the ship was at sea. He worked
as a station hand at Wave Hill for nearly 12 months but became very bitter about the treatment of their employees
by the owners, Vesteys.
In 1940, he received a letter from a cousin in Tennant Creek inviting him to keep the books and fetch water
for the Rising Sun mine owned by Bill Weaber. He moved to Tennant Creek and worked for Weaber until he was
offered a job as clerk in the Mines Branch at Tennant Creek later the same year. In 1941, he married Betty Maloney
in Tennant Creek. Four children were born of the marriage.
When Japan entered the war Arch decided to join up as his three brothers were already serving. Initially he was
not allowed to leave the mines branch because the mining of wolfram and mica in the Territory was considered part
of the war effort and his job was considered necessary. Although the government battery was closed, the mining
warden’s office was not closed in Tennant Creek until 1943, after which in July 1943 he joined the Royal Australian
Air Force. After initial training in Australia, he was sent to Canada as part of the Empire Training Scheme. There
he became an instructor for pilots and was made a Flying Officer. In February 1945, he was returned to Australia
in preparation for transfer to New Guinea and was based at Archerfield near Brisbane. After peace was declared
on 15 August 1945, he returned to Tennant Creek to re-establish the Mines Branch there. After a short period in
Alice Springs, he and his family moved to Darwin in 1949. There he served in a number of senior administrative
positions, among which was Clerk of the Legislative Council between January and November 1952. The family
then returned to Alice Springs. Between then and 1956 when he left the public service, he served in a variety of
capacities for the Northern Territory Administration.
In 1956, the family moved to Darwin where Arch joined Jack Coleman (of Coleman’s printers) as manager/
partner for their store in Mitchell Street west. They lived in a converted Sydney Williams hut until their own house
was built. The hut, which stood where the Raffles Plaza was later located, is remembered for the idiosyncrasy of
its electrical and plumbing fittings which appeared to function quite independently of the users. Also notable were
the cannas that grew through the floor of the elevated shower cubicle.
In 1959, Arch suffered the first of a series of heart attacks but he continued to work at Colemans for several
more years. He was optimistic, had a great sense of the ridiculous, and was cheerful though could be tough at
times. He was very ambitious to succeed. In 1964, he rejoined the public service in the Welfare Branch. He then
contracted tuberculosis, was off work for 12 months, and hospitalised for quite some time. Early in 1975 after
cyclone Tracy destroyed their Darwin home he and Betty returned to Tennant Creek where he continued to work
in Aboriginal affairs until Arch retired, due to continued ill health, in July 1976. In anticipation of retirement, they
had bought a small house at Atherton, Queensland. They built a new house and lived there for 14 years. After
several years of improved health, Arch required an aorta replacement operation in 1988 but his health continued to
deteriorate and he died in Atherton on 3 September 1989.
Administrator’s annual reports, 1949–1953; family information.
ANN RICHARDS, Vol 3.RICHARDS, BETTY ELEANOR (nee MALONEY) (1918– ), homemaker, was born in Westonia, Western
Australia, on 21 January 1918, elder daughter of James Lawrence Maloney and his wife Charlotte, nee Martin.
She attended Wyndham Primary School and won a scholarship at the end of her primary school years but her
father would not let her go away to secondary school. She had lessons after school with the primary school teacher,