In 1933 a group of stockmen from around the Birdsville Road were all buying new saddles. There was always great argument about what to put on the leather to preserve it. Jack believed in potliquor (oil after you have cooked meat in it). Old Vin reckoned that beeswax and some other ingredients were the best. A boy from Birdsville swore by castor oil. They were all going to dress their new saddles to see which turned out to be the best. Another stockman claimed that his father swore by pigfat.

The new saddles duly came. I compared the saddles after some months. Jack’s underflaps were as hard as a board. The boy with the castor oil had a persistent greasy patch on every pair of pants he wore. The pigfat did the job well but the saddle was always incredibly dusty. Vin’s saddle remained pliable and always clean as the natural ingredients would penetrate the leather and seemed to polish well and had a better grip.

RM’s Own is a specially formulated cream, created from natural Australian bush ingredients as produced over 60 years ago. We have managed to homogenise this to the form of a soft cream, which if applied in the sun will penetrate the leather and will leave it clean so that trousers are not soiled, and the leather and stitches are carefully preserved.

Developed under his supervision, this dressing comes with R.M. Williams’ personal assurance that there is none better for the care and maintenance of all types of leather.