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Richard Lancelot Dean, the youngest of five children, was born at Victor Harbour on the 13th September 1922 to George Lancelot and Ellice Tarlton Dean, of Koorine, Kalangadoo.

Richard spent his childhood at Koorine just as the Great Depression wreaked havoc in Australia. He was taught by three governesses, whom he and his elder sister Susy relentlessly harassed.

Mischievous as both child and adult, he would craftily retrieve cast-off cigars from his Father’s flamboyant friend as he entered the homestead, beginning a life-long smoking career at age eight, a habit he only beat in his mid-seventies.

At the age of eleven the young Richard was sent to St Peters College in the state capital, where he excelled at Mathematics. Richard’s education was cut short in 1935 by an outbreak of poliomyelitis which gripped the nation, took many lives, and closed schools across the country. His Senior School education was never completed.

In 1937, at age fifteen Richard Dean commenced work as a Stock Clerk with Goldsborough Mort in Kalangadoo, commuting daily on an ancient Levis motorcycle, which blew up the very day he arranged to sell it. He would often work sixteen hour days, acting as Clerk of Sale for up to 30,000 sheep and cattle.

Trooper Richard Dean enlisted at Adelaide into the Fourth Military District A.I.F.

After initial training was completed, Trooper Dean was transferred to the 13th Field Regiment, Australia Army Artillery. On the 20th March 1942 he was transferred to the 108 Anti Tank Regiment in the 4th Military District. On the 31st March he was made a Bombardier.

Records show that for the next few months as an acting Sergeant, he was transferred to Line of Command N.S.W. and then Victoria. This is preparation for the rank of Sergeant.

On the 26th of January 1943 he was transferred to the 29th Anti Tank Regiment at Puckapunual, Victoria.

The next two years Sergeant Dean was transferred to many units / Depots, from Western Australia to 5 MD. Back and forth from training units to Line of Commands and all the time waiting to serve overseas.

On the 7th December 1944 all training stopped. General McCarthur called for the removal of the Japanese from Borneo. U S and Australian Air and Naval would shell and bomb Borneo, Australians would carry over the ground invasion. Bombardier Richard Dean would take part in the North Borneo landing and ground invasions.

Bombardier Richard Dean embarked from Brisbane on the 13th March 1945 for Morotai. Runways and facilities had been prepared for the arrival months before. Final preparations for the North Borneo attack took place over the next months.

Bombardier Dean left Mortatai on the 1st June 1945 arriving at Labuan on the 10th June 1945 with troops from the 24th Brigade—the 2/28 and 2/43rd Battalions with a squadron of Matilda Tanks from the 2/9 Armoured Regiment. Intelligence estimated 8,800 Japanese troops were on North Borneo. The Japanese had heavily fortified positions at “The Pocket” and the Australians on Labuan even with considerable artillery turned back. Another five more days of intense naval and aerial bombardments, before those Australians on Labuan moved forward again. With support from the Matilda’s with flame throwers and land guns from the Anti Tank Regiment they finally cleared the Japanese (389 Japanese killed on Labuan).

Australian troops then proceeded to remove the Japanese from other parts of North Borneo. The Anti Tank Regiment were used as infantry up until the 12th July, when offensive operations came to an end.

The cease fire came into effect in Mid August when the Japanese surrendered.
Corporal Dean returned to Moratai on the 3rd November 1945.

On the 27th February 1946 Corporal Dean left for Kure, Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, and arrived at the Australian Army Encampment at Hiro, Japan. Headquarters for the B.C.O.F was responsible for twenty million Japanese people and 57,000 square kilometres of country. Australia’s role was securing military stores and installations. War like materials were destroyed. Corporal Richard Dean was involved in destroying large military guns and other equipment and was en¬gaged in regular road patrols and reconnaissance's.

After almost a year Corporal Richard Dean embarked Kure, Japan returning to Sydney.

Corporal Richard Dean had completed 1935 days service which included 718 days active service.

Corporal Richard Dean was honourably discharged on April the 14th, 1947.

Corporal Richard Dean was awarded the following medals
39-45 Star
Pacific Star
Defence Medal
War Medal 39-45
Australian Service Medal

He returned to the family property at Koorine in 1947.

In 1949 Richard married his wartime sweetheart Lois Meathrel, in Perth. They had met in 1942 in WA when Richard was training near Geraldton.

In 1948, Richard and Lois bought an 870 acre property, Nangkita, two miles west of Koorine. It was very run down and beset by rabbits, but he worked like a Trojan revitalising and developing it, leaving the homestead daily at 7am and returning late each day, often after 9pm.

Richards first son Hugh was born in May 1951, followed by Patrick in February 1963.

In 1954 Richard had suffered a nasty fall from a horse which permanently damaged his back. From this point on his back became a serious liability, and with the stresses and strains of the new property it began to tell.

Richard Dean pioneered flood irrigation in the Kalangadoo area in the early sixties, first using an old Lanz Bulldog tractor as powerplant, and then, in 1965 when mains electricity arrived, large electric pumps.

He was an extremely well informed farmer, and kept abreast of technical and agricultural developments in the US, Israel and Britain.

Under Richard’s careful husbandry and unrelenting hard work, and with the full support of his wife, Nangkita became a superb property.

However, no longer challenged, in the late sixties he became restless, and Richard and Lois sold Nangkita. They bought Khayyam, a 2,100 acre property at Callendale, some fifty kilometres from Millicent, with plans to start afresh and develop another property.

Khayyam was a difficult property, with light soil, too much drainage, and much undeveloped scrub. Money was tight, and Richard’s back troubled him severely, causing periodic hospitalisation.

Beginning in 1970, a serve rural recession hit, and two years later, Richard and Lois sold Khayyam and moved from farming life to Mt Gambier.

Soon after, in 1972 he and Lois purchased a lovely property of 160 acres at Wandilo, just behind the Airport. Here they remained until a move to Ferrers Street in 1983.

In1972, Richard, at 50, found employment as a technical service officer in the Mount with Chapman and Saunders, Engineers and Industrial Suppliers, and for twelve years he ably served the timber, wine and farming industries around the Green Triangle.

Sadly, Chapman and Saunders ceased trading in 1984, and Richard, faced with redundancy at the age of 62, showed his usual mettle. With the late Jack McCabe, he established a company, Dean and McCabe, for the manufacturing of windmills, one of his great loves. He purchased the original Varcoe mill factory machinery from Chapman and Saunders, and set up in a run down warehouse in Margaret Street, Mt. Gambier.

In 1996, after years of heavy smoking, and a lifetime with the infamous Dean chocolate gene, Richard suffered his first heart attack. However, the unrelenting hard work in the business continued, and three other attacks came. With careful medical management he was able to hang on for much longer than his doctors expected.

Richard was active in the South Australian Liberal Party, the Stockowners Association, the Country Fire Service, Kalangadoo Primary School Committee and the Beef Steak and Burgundy Club. Richard and Lois enjoyed a wonderful social life and made many lifelong friends from Kalangadoo, Lucindale, Penola, Millicent, Furner and Mt. Gambier.

Richard Lancelot Dean enjoyed a wonderful life, his interest in the business world, all things mechanical, rifle shooting, the outback of this country and worked very hard, loved his wife and family, kept the passion for sport, particularly tennis and football, and his lifelong fascination with farming, stock, machinery and many, many strong personal and business friendships.

Richard Lancelot Dean passed away on the 9th October 2006, in Adelaide and is interred at the Carinya Garden Cemetery, Mount Gambier.