Neil Robinson
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After Year 12 in Bundaberg (where Neil had been boarding for 4 years) Neil headed to Brisbane in early 1967 around the time that Doug Walters was drafted into the Army to do Nasho. Neil studied Commerce and Education at UQ for four years. Neil commenced secondary teaching about the time that John Snow hit Terry Jenner on the head at the SCG in 1971. Teaching placements have only taken Neil to Noosa District, Gympie, Rockhampton, Gladstone and Bundaberg. Not too far flung at all. Neil transferred himself to Bundaberg after resigning at Gladstone in 1983 (in time to see Border and Thommo fail by 3 runs to save Australia in the Fourth Test against England at Melbourne). Neil applied for a teaching position in Bundaberg in 1986 (about the time that twins Steve and Mark Waugh were selected to play for NSW). Neil taught for 17 years most enjoyable years at Kepnock.

Now for the "I" not "Neil" - I often thought whilst at Kepnock of the relationships many of my students would have had with my peers from those early days at BSHS. The web would have been quite tangled indeed. I would be very happy if some of you could untangle that web on Oct 21.

Having a Commerce, Accounting and Economics background, I only intended to teach for a short time, see the world and then get into some sort of business practice or venture. However, the love for the students (which I did not know I possessed) has kept me in the classroom. There has been a tremendous amount of fun and banter with fun-loving students along the way since Stackpole made his double century at the Gabba the week after I finished my Dip Ed. in 1970.

However, I have managed several years away from teaching. Along with the longer holidays, long service leave stints and a total of five years leave without pay have seen me trampling and bumbling around far flung places of the world through numerous countries on all continents except Antarctica. The most exciting times would probably have been during trips to such countries as Israel, Syria, Mexico, Nepal, China, India, Turkey, Egypt, Brazil, Chile and Indonesia. Every day seemed to be an adventure and there are many valued memories from those experiences thrown in with the more sanitised travels throughout the western and developed world. However, I still managed to follow the cricket even if I spent the European summer lying on beaches on various Greek Islands – especially in 1993 when Australia defeated England in two tests with a total loss of only 4 Australian wickets on both occasions – surely a record.

Claire and I were married in 1977 (about the time the Centenary Test was being played in Melbourne where Rod Marsh became the first wicketkeeper to make a test century for Australia). We have three delightful daughters.

The Education Department did not see fit to allow me to join their Superannuation Scheme because of my being crippled with polio and suffering the effects of rheumatic fever as a child. I chose (more like was forced) to build up my own superannuation through property investments and this has kept me well and truly out of trouble over the last 35 years.

These days I am teaching at St Luke’s in Bundaberg and I am also happy to be involved with community service to some degree. I am an active member of a local Rotary club and I engage students in community service through a school based Interact club. I play tennis each week, try to swim 600m per day and I still follow cricket very closely, feeling obliged to do so, since my father named me after Neil Harvey who made his maiden test century at Leeds in 1948 a few days before I was born.

Created: 16 July 2006 - Last Amended: 16 July 2006 by Roger Clarke - Site Last Verified: 15 February 2009
This document is at www.anu.edu.au/BHS66/NeilRobinson.html
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