Death of Dave Sands near Dungog. On the morning of 12 August, a disbelieving Australia hears that Dave Sands, national and Empire middleweight boxing champion and contender for the world title has died at the age of 26 as a result of a driving accident. Dave is perhaps the best known of the famous Ritchie family. The six brothers fought under the name of Sands. While born of the Dunghutti people and brought up near Kempsey they regularly attend the Newcastle Stadium. Together they forged a unique record in world boxing: between them 607 fights, 249 knockout wins, one Empire (Commonwealth) title, one Australasian, four Australian, and three state titles. The Ritchie family maintain a close association with the Newcastle area with Clem, the eldest brother, and their sister Lillian, being actively involved with setting up and ongoing activities of the Awabakal Co-op. (Tatz, 1995: 132; Arwarbukarl Cultural Resource Association, ACRA)