Nō te 7 o Hepetema o te tau 1905 i whānau ai a Rīhari (Richard) Tahuora Hīmona i Te Oreore (Te Ore Ore), e pātata atu rā ki Whakaoriori (Masterton). Ko te tama ia a tētahi tangata mahi pāmu, a Arapata Hīmona rāua ko tana wahine, ko Wīrāpeti Mīkaera o te hapū o Hāmua o Te Oreore. He uri a Hāmua nō Rangitāne, ēngari nō te rau tau tekau mā iwa, i muri i ngā moe whakawhitiwhiti, i ētahi wā i whakaarotia kētia he hapū nō Ngāti Kahungunu. Ki te taha ki tōna whaea ko Tūtohengārangi Ākuhata Mīkaera tōna tupuna, arā, ko ia rā tētahi o ngā āpotoro tuatahi o te Hāhi Rātana ki Te Wairarapa.
I kuraina a Dick Hīmona, arā, ko Tiki Arapata, ko Dick Albert anō ōna īngoa, ki te kura tuatahi o Te Oreore, nō muri mai ki te kura tuarua ā-rohe o Whakaoriori (Masterton District High School) me te kāreti o Hikurangi (Hikurangi College) i Taratahi (Clareville) i Te Wairarapa. I tōna taitamarikitanga i te tākaro whutupaoro ia mō te karapu whutupaoro ‘Red Star’ i Whakaoriori. I a ia e kutikuti hipi ana i Te Umukaha (Temuka), ka tūtaki ia ki a Rīria Fowler o Ngāi Tahu, ā, nō tana whakahokinga mai i a Rīria ki Te Oreore, nā te āpotoro Rātana, nā Īnia Heketā Mānihera rāua i mārena i te 5 o Maehe o te tau 1929. Kāore ā rāua tamariki ake, ēngari nō te tau 1930 tokorima ngā tamariki a tētahi tokorua o ōna tuāhine i riro hai tamariki whāngai mā rāua. I te matenga o tētahi anō o ōna tuāhine i te tau 1938, i pūmau tonu ia kia riro mā Dick rāua ko Rīria āna tamariki tokowaru e whakatipu. Hui katoa tekau mā rima ngā tamariki nā rāua i whakatipu.
Tāpiri atu ki te mahi tiaki anō a Hīmona i tōna whānau, i pūtohe tonu tana mahi ki te whakatika ake i te hauora o ngā Māori o Te Oreore, i reira rā ia e pāmu ana, me ērā hoki puta noa i Te Wairarapa. Nō te tau 1930 i tū ai a Hīmona hei mema mō te komiti kura o Te Oreore. He rārangi īngoa nui tō taua kura, ā, ko tōna kaupapa he tino tiaki nei i te mahi ako mai i ngā tamariki Māori o taua rohe. E rua tekau mā tahi tau a ia i taua komiti. Hei āwhina i ngā take e pā ana ki te iwi Māori, nō te tau 1936 i whakatūria a ia e te āpiha ā-rohe o te Tari Kura (Department of Education) hei āpiha hōnore toko i te ora mō ngā tamariki. Otirā, ko ngā mahi i riro i a ia te whakahaere ko te taha mātauranga, ko ngā kāinga, ko te momo noho o te tangata tae atu ki te mahi ārahi tohutohu hoki. He āpiha haere tonu tana mahi ki te aroaro o te Kōti Whakawā (Magistrate’s Court) hei kaiāwhina mō ngā whakahaere e pā ana ki te taha taurima me te taha ota tauatanga. Nā tōna kaha mōhio ki te whakapapa i tino rawe ia ki te whakarite ko wai ngā tāngata whai pānga ki ngā tahua tiaki Māori.
Nā te mea ko ia te tiamana mō te komiti ā-iwi o Te Oreore (Te Ore Ore Tribal Committee), i riro nāna i whakatutuki ētahi kaupapa mahi moni. I te paunga katoa o te whare nui, o Ngā Tau e Waru i te ahi te kai i te marama o Noema o te tau 1939, whakahaerea ana e ia ētahi mahi hei kohi moni hei whakatū whare nui hou anō. I tua atu i tērā ko ia te kaiwhakaoati mō ngā moni hei utu i ngā mahi whakairo. Nō te tau 1940 i oti ai te wāhanga tuatahi o te whare hou nei, ā, nō ngā tau tīmatanga o te tekau tau atu i 1960 i whakaritea e Hīmona te whakahaere i te hanga i te wāhanga tuarua. I te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao nāna i whakamahi te komiti ā-iwi o Te Oreore ki te mahi moni mā ngā hōia i tāwāhi me te hunga e mau herehere atu ana i te pakanga. He pūhera kai, he kaka wūru he mea whatu nei, ngā mea i tukua atu e tana komiti mā ngā hōia. I te mutunga o te pakanga ko Hīmona anō i te whakahaere i te pōwhiri ki ngā hōia e hokihoki mai ana ki te kāinga.
Nā tana mahi āpiha toko i te ora i kitea e ia te tino hē o te momo noho o ētahi o ngā whānau Māori; nō reira i tīmata ai tana whawhai ki te whakatika ake i ngā whare o tana hapori, e rua tekau tau tana roa e kōkiri ana. Nāna tonu ngā rīmiti, he mea tuku atu e te komiti ā-iwi ki te komiti whakahaere ā-iwi o Te Wairarapa ki te raki (North Wairarapa Tribal Executive Committee), ki te Tari Māori hoki. Nāwai rā tukua mai ana e te Tari Māori te moni āwhina hei whakatū i ngā whare hou e waru ki Te Oreore. He kite nōna i te mahi whakatū whare kāwanatanga ki Te Wairarapa, e mahue noa ana te Māori, i tukua atu e ia te take nei ki te aroaro o ngā tari kāwanatanga. Kāti, nō te tau 1961 i āhei ai te Māori ki te whiwhi i ēnei whare.
E toru tekau mā tahi tau a Hīmona e tiamana ana mō te komiti whakahaere ā-iwi o Te Wairarapa ki te raki. He mea tuku atu e ia i taua wā he pūrongo ki te Tari Māori e whakarāpopoto ana i ngā āhua e taea ai te whakatika ake te mātauranga, te hauora, te pāpori me te ōhanga o te hunga Māori o Te Wairarapa. Ko tētahi mahi anō āna, ka roa kē nei ia e noho ana hei mema i runga i te Poari Kaitiaki o Pāpāwai me Kaikōkirikiri (Pāpāwai and Kaikōkirikiri Trusts Board), he whakahaere i te mahi tohatoha atu i ngā moni hei āwhina i te taha mātauranga o ngā tamariki a Ngāti Kahungunu. Whakatūria ana ia hei māngai mō te Kaunihera Takiwā o Ikaroa (Ikaroa District Council) i te tau 1959, ā, i te tau 1963 i noho anō hoki ia hei mema tūāpapa mō te Kaunihera Māori o Aotearoa (New Zealand Māori Council), ā mutu noa ia i te kaunihera rā i te tau 1964. Nō te tau 1962 i whakarewahia e rāua ko te mēa o Whakaoriori he mahi tono moni mō te Kaupapa Mātauranga mō te Iwi Māori (Māori Education Foundation), he mema tonu rā ia nō taua rōpū.
Nō te tau 1962 i whakatūria a ia hei mana whakaāio, ā, whakatūria ana hoki ia i te tau 1970 ki te poari o te kaitiakitanga mātauranga o Pā Moore (Monsignor Moore Education Trust) hei kanohi mō te iwi Māori. Nō te tau 1974 i tono moni atu ia i te iwi whānui hei hoko mai i te whakaahua o Te Retimana Te Korou, tētahi o ngā tino rangatira nei o Te Wairarapa, nā Lindauer i peita. I hokona mai taua waituhi rā i te mākete, ā, ko tōna kāinga tūturu ake i nāianei ko te whare toi, whare tāhuhu kōrero o Te Wairarapa (Wairarapa Arts and History Centre).
Nō te tau 1976 i ūhia ai a Hīmona ki te Mētara Whakanui Ratonga a te Kuini (Queen’s Service Medal) mō āna mahi rā mā te iwi kāinga. I mate a Dick Hīmona ki tōna kāinga i te 7 o Ākuhata o te tau 1984, ā, he mea nehu ia ki te urupā o Ahitianga i Te Oreore. Whāia atu ana ia e tana hoa, e Rīria i te tau 1987. Nā te mea i whiwhi painga te Māori i āna mahi, i tino ngākau nuitia a Hīmona, ko ia nei te kaumātua o Te Oreore me te kanohi Māori o tōna rohe.