Related links

OBITUARY - ARTHUR ROBINSON

Written by Eileen Galbally.
It is with regret that I have to report the sad death in March this year of Arthur Robinson aged 82. I am grateful now that I had mentioned him in Stray Notes 2005. He had written thanking me for this, and in November wrote to me again, explaining that my kind words had since spurred him to research old Year Books, and he sent me a copy of the notes he had made. Little did I think then that I would need to refer to these so soon, which now form part of his obituary.
Arthur became a member of the Society in 1956, and the results lists of the 1962 Pinks show record that he took four first prizes with his Pinks in that year, one an unnamed seedling, another the then-popular ‘Winsome’, a fine rose pink bi-colour. Arthur later raised several more pinks; his ‘Kesteven Kirkstead’ is still successfully exhibited today.
Arthur’s own notes confirm that he became a member of the Pinks Committee in 1967, having been co-opted during 1966; each section had its own separate Committee in those days. He also noted his appointment to Council in 1967 but was too modest to mention that, in the AGM reporting this, he was highly recommended both as a pinks enthusiast and as an active worker for the Society. Three years later he became Show Secretary, a post in which he excelled. He became a member of the Joint RHS/BNCS Border Carnation Committee in 1974 and of the Joint Dianthus Committee in 1976, remaining a member of the Border Carnation & Pinks Committee when these two former committees amalgamated in 1980. He was made a Vice-President in 1977 and President in 1982. Following this he became Chairman of Council in 1984, and was also appointed in 1989 to the Joint Perpetual-flowering Carnation Committee. Sadly, all was brought to an abrupt end by a tragic road accident in 1993 in which his beloved wife, Audrey, died, and which left Arthur in a coma for a considerable time. Until then both had worked indefatigably for the Society, travelling all over the country to visit and report on affiliated societies’ shows, writing for the Year Books, recording show results, and commencing the popular Show Analysis, the legacy of which continues today. Reference has already been made, in the previous Year Book, to Arthur’s dedication in past years to the collection of flowers sent by rail to various main line stations by those members unable to attend and exhibit in person. He also acted for some years as custodian of the Society’s trophies, delivering these personally, after they had been engraved, to the winners.
My earliest memory of both Arthur and Audrey is when they visited the Summer show in 1956, the year Arthur joined the Society, when both stood gazing at our 20-foot exhibit of border carnations and picotees which that year won the Cartwright Cup and Gold Medal award. Arthur excitedly told us that they were moving from Lincolnshire to Enfield in Middlesex, where he joined the Enfield Carnation Society, at that time a flourishing affiliated society. A few years later he was telling John of the difficulty of travelling to the show by public transport with his pinks in a cardboard box. He was surprised when John told him that he too had done this when he first exhibited his own pinks and border carnations just after the war, nine years before he took and passed his driving test and bought his first car. Arthur later also became a proud car owner.
In addition to his interest in carnations and pinks Arthur had also been a keen member of the Daffodil Society since 1972, becoming involved as a member of its Classification subcommittee, and was elected a Vice-President of the Daffodil Society in 1990. His cheerful smiling face will be sadly missed, and our sincere condolences go to his son Andrew.
Eileen Galbally.