Obituary - TOM RICHARDS
The political Labor movement suffered a great loss last week-end when Mr Thomas Richards, aged 78 years, Secretary of the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation, died suddenly.
Mr Richards was always a staunch Labor supporter. In his early days in Ballarat he was one of those stalwarts who worked relentlessly in the interests of Labor. He was one of the foundation members of the powerful Ballarat Branch.
He, at one time, contested Ballarat East seat in the Assembly. That seat has since been abolished.
Mr Richards' activities in the Labor Movement in Ballarat were so effective that he began to find it difficult to get employment and had to come to Melbourne. He immediately became an active member of the Clifton Hill Branch and later, the Northcote Branch.
A fearless debater and a champion in the interests of justice, his qualities soon became manifest in Melbourne and he was elected Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation in 1918.
During the years since then he has worked untiringly for the cause of Labor, and only last Monday week the grand old stalwart braved the elements and went to Collingwood to speak at the opening meeting for Mr Towers in the Collingwood campaign.
Those people who were fortunate to be there and hear him speak marvelled at his ability on the hustings and were convinced that he, as much as anything else, was responsible for such a good result.
The movement mourns his passing and extends to his family its deepest sympathy in the loss of a stalwart who goes to rest with laurels thick upon him in his life-long endeavour to make the world a better place than when he found it. (provided by Roger Dunhill)
In 1913 Thomas RICHARDS was President of the Ballarat Trades and Labour Council.
In the 1914 Election for the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Ballarat West, Thomas RICHARDS (Labor) unsuccessfully challenged M H BAIRD (Liberal) [p203, p305 Ballarat Labor : From Miner Hesitancy to Golden Age (2007) Colin Cleary]

Esther Rebecca STEVENS b 1872 Sebastopol d/o Edmund Hall STEVENS/Esther Rebecca ROSE [Vic 12140]
Esther Rebecca RICHARDS d 5 June 1936 aged 65 yrs Northcote (Clifton Hill) d/o Edmund STEVENS/Esther Rebecca unknown [Vic 4871] (Roger Dunhill)

1903 Ballarat Directory Tulloch p179
RICHARDS Esther, 45 King Street, Ballarat East
RICHARDS T, 43 King Street, Ballarat East
1906-7 Ballarat Directory Sands & McDougall p 123
RICHARDS Thomas, 5 King Street North, Ballarat East (streets of Ballarat were renumbered in blocks in 1906)

Children of Thomas RICHARDS and Esther Rebecca STEVENS:

1. James RICHARDS b 1891 Ballarat East s/o Thomas RICHARDS/Esther Rebecca STEVENS [Vic 29824]
James RICHARDS d 1892 aged 6 mths Ballaarat East s/o Thomas RICHARDS/Esther STEVENS [Vic 5004]
James RICHARDS age 6 mths, King Street, Ballarat, bur 28 Jun 1892 Ballarat New Cemetery [Wes A 10.32 Remarks 1A 2C] with grandfather James RICHARDS (d 1876) and uncle James RICHARDS (d 1883)

2. Elsie Esther RICHARDS b 1893 Ballarat East d/o Thomas RICHARDS/Esther Rebecca STEVENS [Vic 652]
Elsie Esther RICHARDS d 1894 aged 14 mths Ballarat East d/o Thomas RICHARDS/Esther STEVENS [Vic 433]
Elsie Esther RICHARDS age 14 mths, King Street, Ballarat, bur 12 Mar 1894 Ballarat New Cemetery [Wes A 10.32 Remarks 1A 2C]

3. Winifred Ellen May RICHARDS b 1894 East Ballarat d/o Thomas RICHARDS/Esther Rebecca STEVENS [Vic 687]
Winifred Ellen May RICHARDS m 1914 Stanley Victor JONES [Vic 2608] (2 sons)
Stanley Victor JONES b 1892 Ballarat East s/o Harry JONES/Isabella Jane GOBBLE (GOBLE) [Vic 10085]