His parents having died while he was still an infant, Thomas Richards was brought up by an aunt, and educated at Ebenezer on the Hawkesbury river. On 1 January 1845, at the age of 13, Richards was apprenticed at the Government Printing Office, which had been established just over four years earlier. Richards progressed through various positions there, becoming superintendent in 1854, and in June 1859, he was appointed Government Printer, at a salary of £500 a year. Despite the lack of 'London experience' which had made him an unpopular choice for the position, Richards was responsible for many technical innovations, and oversaw a great expansion of the role and responsibilities of the Office. Richards was also an officer in the New South Wales Volunteer Rifles for 25 years. Deteriorating eyesight forced his retirement from the Government Printing Office in 1886, and he died at Manly 12 years later.
