Town icon dies
Reverend Robert Neill Robinson has passed away, leaving behind his wife Colleen, daughter Jacqui, and son Andrew.
ALBERTON has lost a true icon and pillar of the community with the recent passing of reverend Robert Neill Robinson.
Reverend Robinson, fondly known as reverend Neill by the community, and especially those involved in AMCARE, passed away on Friday, June 24, at the age of 71.
The reverend was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on September 24, 1944, moved to South Africa in 1953 with his parents, and joined the Methodist Church in Vereeniging.
Robinson worked for Standard Bank after school, and became a candidate for the ministry in Kroonstad in 1965, where he met his wife, Colleen.
In 1967, he started his studies at Rhodes University and graduated with a BA degree in 1969, followed by a BA (Hons) in the old and new testament, and an MA for the new testament, through Unisa.
In 1991, the family moved to Alberton, after a two-year stint in the United States of America, where the reverend was a preacher. The move to Alberton was a calling for the Robinson family because they wanted to be a part of the change that was happening in the country. And that calling found its foundations in Alberton, and more particularly, AMCARE.
The reverend spent the next 14 years of his career as a minister at the Alberton Methodist Church, and in 2001, he and his wife, along with several others, established AMCARE, a community outreach programme, linked to the church, dedicated to helping the elderly and children, those suffering from HIV and AIDS, and the underprivileged in Alberton and surrounding areas including Thokoza, Eden Park, Phola Park and the informal settlements of Greenfields and Thinazonke.
Robinson was diagnosed with motor neurone disease 18 months ago, and due to the muscle atrophy the disease causes; the reverend’s breathing and ability to speak was affected. Reverend Robinson fittingly spent his last hours in the hospice at AMCARE.
According to management at AMCARE, they plan to rename their office block “The Neill Robinson Centre”.
Reverend Robinson leaves behind his wife Colleen, daughter Jacqui, and son Andrew.
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your master’s happiness.” (Mt 25:21)
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