Remembering Nathan ‘Natty’ Robb
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Tributes continue to come in for prominent attorney-at-law and former president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) Nathan “Natty” Robb who died last week after suffering from a stroke.
President of the Global Services Association of Jamaica (GSAJ), Gloria Henry, saluted Robb for being what she described as a “very passionate Montegonian”, noting that he would always go beyond the call of duty for the city of Montego Bay.
“Nathan Robb was a very passionate Montegonian who would always extend himself to support any cause that would benefit the city and its people. He was steadfast about the development of downtown Montego Bay and would argue in favour of projects that enhanced the development of that business community and its members,” said Henry, who is also a former president of the MBCCI.
“He was instrumental in the establishment of a local branch of the Firearm Licensing Authority in the region and was a strong voice supporting the lobby for a justice centre. He was not afraid to articulate his views, even if they were controversial. I extend condolences to his family, management and staff at Clark, Robb and Company.”
Chairman of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Godfrey Dyer, who is also a former MBCCI president, told the Jamaica Observer West that Robb “was somebody that everybody appreciated.”
“Mr Robb was a gentleman of very strong opinion, he said what he meant and meant what he said. Very good gentleman, someone you could depend on. He was somebody that everybody appreciated,” said Dyer.
Robb also served as chairman of the Montego Bay Community College and is being hailed by former fellow board member and manager of the Jamaica Observer,
Western Region, Cheddi Van Creighton, for his commitment to the development of the tertiary institution.
Van Creighton also noted that Robb’s sense of humour “lightened the load” in a lot of board meetings.
“I can tell you that Nathan was funny; he had a great sense of humour that, you know, lightened the load when you have to be sitting in those board meetings for an extended period. To have somebody like Nathan to break up the monotony with his humour was something that you had to see to believe. He was an extremely funny individual,” said Van Creighton.
Van Creighton, who was also Robb’s vice-president during his tenure at the MBCCI, recounted a memory he shared with the late attorney at a Montego Bay Community College retreat.
“We had a retreat for the Montego Bay Community College, where we were meeting over the course of a weekend, and I can tell you there was one particular occasion where he had us rolling from one joke for the entire weekend. After he [said] that joke, we started every meeting with the continuation of that joke. As professional as he was and businesslike as he was, anybody who did not know him would not know that [he] was one of the most humourous people out there,” said Van Creighton.
Businessman and MBCCI director Anthony Pearson, who shared many years of friendship with Robb, told the Observer West that they both had a “love for a good pen.” This mutual love, he said, made for good conversations and laughter between the two men.
“What certainly stood out is our mutual love for a good pen. He had this passion for pens, and I guess we kind of shared that similar passion for the Montblanc pen and up to recently there is this new one that is out, and I was fortunate to acquire it and he saw it in my pocket, took it out and made good mention that he also had one. So, that is something that we always spoke about, who is coming out with a new pen, and I guess who got it first,” Pearson noted.
Robb also had a passion for wrist watches said attorneys-at-law Shellyann Hyman and Michael Hemmings.
The attorneys told the
Observer West that this passion made for good conversations during breaks at court.
“He was really passionate about watches. The last time that I saw him, he was at court, and he was explaining to us the benefits of buying a solid watch, but the problem was Nathan was the only person in the room who could afford that watch. He kept saying to us ‘if you are going to buy a watch, you have to buy a good watch and it has to be worth it.’ I would have to sell both kidneys and probably my arms to purchase that watch, but I had to laugh because of how passionate he was about it,” said Hyman.
“He always had on a timeless piece. I heard he had [a] 50th anniversary Rolex up for sale, of which I had an interest. He said, ‘Hemmings write down the price you would pay me for it on this piece of paper.’ I did, he smiled and said in a deep voice, ‘you are cooking with gas. I will call to discuss it further.’ This was a mere month ago. He will be truly missed,” said Hemmings.
Immediate past president of the Cornwall Bar Association, attorney-at-law Lambert Johnson, said Robb, a Cornwall College old boy, was a passionate ‘Man of Might’, who “brought great honour and glory” to his alma mater.
“I was very happy I was able to share the same alma mater with him because he too was a Cornwall College old boy and so, I know by the way he conducted himself, he has brought great honour and glory to Cornwall College. He deeply loved his school, like me, and he would have done any and everything that he could to ensure that the name of Cornwall College was kept in the cloud,” Johnson said.
It was a privilege to work with Robb, said Johnson, who highlighted that the late attorney was exceptional at what he did, as he was passionate about the law and was always eager to work with young lawyers.
“Working with him, he was, while not the perfectionist, he always wanted things done properly and in a certain fashion. He was always open to a discussion to ensure that if you did not understand something, he would provide guidance and if there was any attitude for compromise or discussion to ensure that matters would move forward, he would be the first to suggest it. He loved working with young counsels, he loved the law and he embodied what it was to be an exceptional attorney,” he told the
Observer West.