Murray was a man who gave his best always
ARISTOTLE wrote “man is at his best when he is doing his best at what he likes doing best”.
The late Murray Robin, revered by many carried out this philosophy as an epistle of life these writings of Aristotle, fortified by his deep personal commitment to the dignity of work being more valuable, the harder the work.
That was his character. To those of us who knew him and grew up with him and were aware of how he traversed the road of life, he enriched the lives of many who will have a bank of memories of his leadership, achievements, and example that will live forever and will not be lost in the mists of time.
He was renowned, in his long life, as a big engine of life which did not stop pulsating no matter how difficult and challenging the solution was be it in sport, ever so many facets of business, innovation, trade and agriculture until a solution was arrived at.
Murray led by example, courage, enthusiasm and discipline.
He was born in Allora, the eldest son of a family of four sisters and another brother to Mr and Mrs Ches Robin, revered and respected pioneers of the Allora district.
During World War II when manpower was scarce and as much food as possible produced to provide sustenance to the men and women and the local population, he like many of his age group, lived and worked with farmers whilst attending school.
He worked with Ralph Smith at Riverside, Forest Plains, milking the cows twice a day and general farm tasks whilst attending the
nearby Berat School some two miles across the Dalrymple Creek.
His friend Tom McVeigh said: “One needs to admit that on several occasions I was responsible for him wagging it from school.
“We would spend the day unseen catching crabs in the creek and having a dip in the clear mountain spring water.”
After leaving school, he obtained work at the blacksmith of T. Maher at Allora.
The pay was minimum, as was the custom of the times for young people and the work swinging for long periods heavy hammers moulding hot iron, back-breaking work whilst developing strength, timing and muscles.
He learnt how to make horse shoes and fit some often fractious horses and also how to innovate and adapt old style machinery to modern times and requirements.
He was amongst the group that devised a tandem of steel rollers which would remove corn cobs from rows of corn, convey them on a frame to an adapted threshing, cleaning and bagging machine.
He was an innovator who went and worked on a farm to ascertain what the problem was – first-hand experience was the best educator.
The resultant machine saved many, many hours of hand-pulling corn and could do in one day what would take a team of six men three weeks to harvest.
It was a most acceptable innovation and a resultant cost saving.
In a determined effort to further develop his skills he worked as a panel beater with the local Allora panel beaters at Allora, Wilson and Rigby.
Murray, with his dry sense of humour, would recount “Others smashed them, I fix them”.
He did that with doleys and the hammer and mixed the paint the colour of the smashed vehicle.
They were long days and he worked there for some decades.
Notwithstanding the hard work, Murray found time to train as a boxer and refined his skills first displayed as a schoolboy when he won the Darling Downs Schoolboy Championship.
He was trained at the rooms of the Allora National Fitness Club, under the guidance of Edgar Gwynne and Ossie Hentschell.
Later on when trained by old time show tent fighter Andy Neilsen, he defeated in state title events such well-known boxers as Bernie Leahy, D. McDonald from New South Wales, Johnny Schweirk and a local boxer of great renown Maurice Graham.
He participated in the trial contests for the 1956 Melbourne Games.
He was unfortunate that, given it was the amateur era and there were insufficient funds to send a full team to the Games, he was unfortunate with several others to miss out in participating in the 1956 Games.
If so he would have done Australia proud.
He would never have said “have had enough”, he would have kept throwing punches until the final bell.
He kept his other sporting interests whilst furthering his boxing career.
He was the halfback in the Allora Senior Rugby League team, which was undefeated and won all the trophies in the Central Downs and Pittsworth and District Rugby League Competition in 1951 and he was chosen in the rep team.
At the well-attended funeral service at St David’s Anglican Church Allora, where temporary shelter was provided to accommodate friends and relatives to pay their final farewells as the church was filled to overflowing.
The team was represented by a fellow player from the 1951 team, John Croke.
Never a person who in country folklore never let the grass grow under his feet found time with fellow Allorite, Brian Nicholls to win the Queensland B grade table tennis title.
He was at various times a member of representative cricket, basketball and rifle shooting and at the time of his passing he was an active member of the Allora Bowls Club and the Clifton Golf Club.
He had a special passion for imparting fairness and good manners to young in the area, of caring for horses and animals.
He was presented with life membership of the Allora Pony Club, of which he was also treasurer.
He valued and treasured this honour.
In all of these pursuits, he benefited and was always proud to acknowledge the cooperation and help of his wife Lenore, whom he married in 1954.
They were blessed with four children one of whom Lynne predeceased him.
He and his wife Lenore passed onto their children all those attributes of character which were so integral to their lives and all.
In due course, because he never switched off the lights of reality and drew the blinds on challenges, he became a beekeeper, travelling with Lyn and the truckload of bees to the vast plains and herbage of western Queensland, which on account of his trade skills he was able to assist the owners as a way of saying thanks in repairing plant and equipment, particularly buildings and pumping equipment.
He has passed away and leaves behind a legacy of honesty, integrity, fairness, compassion and loyalty.
He is survived by his wife Lenore, children Sue, Alan, Anne and nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
They will have treasured memories of a man who always gave his best no matter how difficult.
In recent years he helped his wife Lenore with her sight difficulties, reliving the love and companionship she had bestowed on him on their long life together.