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A leader who never tired of serving

Rachael Comer

Colin McRobie was a familiar face around South Canterbury, spearheading many fundraising initiatives, but he was perhaps most well-known by families in the region for his voluntary work at the Caroline Bay train.

McRobie, of Timaru, died on July 24, with his family at his side, aged 82, and has been described as a community-minded man, and alongside his late wife Anne, someone who inspired others with his enthusiasm.

McRobie’s community involvement included the South Canterbury RSA, the Timaru Municipal Band, now Alpine Energy Timaru Brass, the Caroline Bay Association, the Timaru Philatelic Society and the Timaru Host Lions Club.

The McRobies were also awarded a Timaru District Council civic award in 2000 for their services to the community.

In 1997 the Lions club bought the train that runs on Caroline Bay, and McRobie’s son Bruce McRobie said his father had been involved with it ever since.

‘‘Driving it and maintaining it,’’ Bruce said. ‘‘I’m sure we all know it [the train] and have probably ridden on it with children and/or grandchildren.’’

Born in Gore Hospital in December 1939, Colin was the middle child, with an older brother Donald and a younger sister May.

He attended Gore High School and while there completed a trade course as well as a basic army training course for a week.

Every day, he would travel from Riversdale to Gore by bus which would take about an hour.

After leaving school he worked on the family farm for 12 months and for the Rabbit Board shooting rabbits for another year.

He began an electrical apprenticeship in Gore at Connor and Fitzpatrick, his father giving him his 1936 Oldsmobile to make the onehour commute.

Weekends were spent attending dances, and not being a drinker, Colin was a driver for his group of friends heading to Gore, Mataura, as well as Dunedin for dances on a Saturday night – a trip to Dunedin took two to three hours by car back then.

Colin meet Anne Doreen Kent at a dance at the Scottish Hall, and they married in Wairoa in 1963.

In 1965, Colin accepted the chief electrician job at Smithfield freezing works in Timaru, retiring from there after 37 years service.

Colin and Anne had three boys, Warren, Bruce and Darryl, who have all married, and three granddaughters.

Colin and Anne joined the Timaru Host Lions Club in 1965, and over the years the pair went to three International Lions conventions, two international exchanges, as well as spending four months in the United States visiting friends they had made through the organisation.

The McRobies were the first husband and wife in the club, and were also awarded the highest Lions honour, the Melvin Jones Fellowship.

Timaru Host Lions Club past president Barry Barnes said the Caroline Bay train was run by a trust, and Colin and his wife would operate the train for the Lions during the year, and for the Bay Association during the two weeks of the carnival in summer.

He was a past president of the club, and Anne was its first female president.

‘‘They were very communityminded,’’ Barnes said.

He said Colin also did a lot of work behind the scenes, organising fundraising coin collections, and ‘‘doing all the donkey work’’ with the train.

‘‘Colin and Anne are very sadly missed and have left big shoes to fill, as we’re finding out.’’

Also, a life member of the Caroline Bay Association, Colin joined the organisation in about 1985.

Association secretary/entertainment manager Kevin Fahey said the McRobies were the face of the Caroline Bay train.

‘‘It is sad to think they won’t be there at the train now.

‘‘They volunteered many hours and were reliable and were always first to turn up to help,’’ Fahey said.

Timaru Philatelic Society patron Ray Bennett said Colin, a life member of the society, was ‘‘a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable member’’ who had dedicated about 45 years to the organisation.

Bennett, also the chairman of the Lions Caroline Bay Trust, said Colin had been instrumental in getting the train to Timaru, which had raised a ‘‘considerable’’ amount of money for the community throughout the years.

‘‘Colin and his wife ran it every weekend during the year when the weather was good, and also through the carnival.’’

A life member of the South Canterbury RSA, Colin was first the associate president – someone who hadn’t served in the forces, and was president twice.

Past president Lee Johns said Colin and Anne had many years’ involvement on various committees, sections and the executive.

‘‘What I came to learn as both an executive member, and over time a friend, Colin was a man who never tired in his efforts to help the organisations he was involved with.

‘‘During his tenure at the RSA as president, he saw the attempted merger with the Town and Country Club and many turbulent financial times.’’

Johns said Colin never faulted in his efforts and support in keeping the club together.

‘‘He was a quiet leader who did so by example and supported management and staff through what was, at times a challenging role.’’

She said the McRobies spearheaded many fundraising initiatives, and were a team who inspired others with their enthusiasm and ‘‘made it very difficult to say no’’.

‘‘They were very familiar faces at the RSA and when they stepped down from the regular raffle station on Tuesday and Friday nights they left big boots to fill.’’

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2022-08-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281539409736326

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