I would like to thank everyone for coming to Robs funeral, the turnout has been brilliant, and I know that Rob would have appreciated it. I would also like to thank both Robs and Saras friends for all the help they have given us, and especially all the help Sara has received over the past couple weeks. You really have been brilliant, and you have helped Sara so much, I can't say how much that has been appreciated. Please don't forget after todays funeral that Sara will still need need your support going into the future.
I would also like to make a special mention to thank Andrew who was first on the scene, and who tried to help Rob, Pete and certainly helped Gemma. Gemma we hope you get better soon, all we send all our good wishes and love to you for a speedy recovery.
I would also like to invite everyone around to an open house from midday today at my house in Fir Croft Drive, yes its the house where Rob used to have all the parties. Please come along if you can, we would all like to see you, and we would love to hear any funny stories that you have of Rob.
Now I'd like to turn your attention to the reason why we are here today, and that is to celebrate Robs life. I am very pleased to have been a major part of his life for so long, and his memory will linger on within my heart for ever. I hope that some of the following memories will trigger off some good times that you have had in Robs company.
Robin was born on the 21st Dec 1986 at 06:16 am in Winchester hospital, and arrived back to our house in Conway Close, Chandlers Ford a couple days later, in fact he's lived nearly his whole life in Chandlers Ford, and was christened in this very church in March 1987. Rob passed through both Fryern Infant and Junior schools. It was around this time that Robs character came shining through, the fun loving, happy cheerful person who liked playing up Fryern Park with his friends, dressing up as Fireman Sam, Ghostbusters, and playing Thunderbirds or pretending to be James Bond.
Rob attended Toynbee school and it was whilst at Toynbee that Rob went over to America on the American school Exchange trip to Philadelphia. We had a guy called Dan from the Indian Valley school in Philadephia stay with us for two weeks. Then a group of Toynbee pupils including Rob went over to stay with their counterparts in the US. Rob really enjoyed the trip and took in sights like the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and The White House.
Rob also enjoyed playing football, I remember when he was small we had a football net in our back garden in Hillcrest Avenue, and nearly every day we'd be out in the garden playing football. When he got a little bit older he would always be up Fryern park with his friends playing football, and of course every birthday seemed to be a football party. Later on in his life Rob played football for Chandlers Ford Rangers. Of course as I'm a Saints fan I naturally took Rob down the Dell quite a lot. I also remember the excitement in his face when I managed to get hold of some tickets for the opening game of Euro 96, when we saw England play Switzerland at Wembley, but perhaps the time that I remember most vividly is when just myself and Rob flew over to Lisbon to see England play France in Euro 2004. Although the result wasn't in Englands favour, we both had a brilliant and fun time.
Rob has always surrounded himself with lots of friends, and there must be so many people here today, who have had sleepovers at our house, or have had Rob sleep round your house, and I quite often remember going into Robs room at 2 oclock in the morning telling him, and whoever was staying that night to quiten down, as I wanted to get some sleep. Then of course there were the computer games, videos, CD's and later on DVD's that Rob and his friends always seemed to be either watching, listening to, or playing on..
Rob has always liked music, everytime we got into the car together, there would always be a battle for who listened to what type of music, or what station on the radio. This meant that we had the ritual changing of the radio station or CD in the car every few seconds. Of course Rob disliked my Punk music, and I suppose I felt the same with his, and poor Sara never got a look in, and had to put up with who ever won. Rob of course liked his Rap like Tupac & 50 Cents, and you may of heard a couple of his favourite tracks from Tupac in the service today.
Music of course goes hand in hand with fashion.... and Rob always seemed to like anything with a Nike badge on it, or anything with extra large written on the label. One item of clothing that Rob always had on was his favourite Burberry cap, I'm sure he used to sleep in it.
I guess our house has always been famous for the parties, lots of people here must of remembered Robs 16th birthday at our house, and then there was the time when I went off for a weekend with my friends, and I came back to find my house in a right state, yes Rob had had a party without of course telling me. A nightmare for me, but he enjoyed it.
As I already mentioned Rob has been to America and Lisbon, and our family holidays saw us take in places like Ibiza, Lanzarote, Majorca, Cyprus, Minorca and Florida a couple times, where we visited every theme park going, and went on all the biggest, fastest and most thrill seeking rides we could, yes we certainly had lots of fun. The last holiday we had together was in 2005, when Rob and Sara each brought a friend a long, Rob brought Will and Sara brought Holly, we had a really nice Villa in Cyprus with its own swimming pool, and just had a really good, chilling out holiday, which was great fun.
Rob also had a very caring side to him, and enjoyed his pets, he had a hampster called Hammy, and was always playing around with our cat Jess, and when she died our next cat Fluffy.
Since leaving school Rob went to Eastleigh College where he did a car mechanics course. Now as a teenager working wasn't top of Rob's most important things to do with his life, but he did manage nearly a year at Waitrose in the bakery department, and was well liked and respected there.
Rob got himself a silver coloured Honda Civic, and once he passed his test he then found freedom, and a new life opened up for him, he loved his car, and was always talking cars. He was talking of upgrading his engine before he died, a job that I wouldnt even know where to start, but Rob did.
I will always be grateful to Wills mum who found Rob an opening at Nice systems in Botley. Rob went there to work there for a couple weeks, and he ended up staying for months and months. He was just about to be offered a permanent job at Nice. In the time Rob worked at Nice his character flourished, he seemed to find a new found inner confidence, and I could see the real Rob coming out again, what a joy to watch that was. I'm so glad to have witnessed that before he was taken away from us all, along with his very good friend Pete.
Robs character to me was always one of a very friendly, fun-loving, cheerful, sometimes shy, but very helpful person, who would do anything for anybody. Such lovely qualtities to have in a person.
Hopefully I've triggered a few memories in peoples minds about Rob... and yes I'd love to hear any stories that people can tell me about Rob, as to me he was one in a million, a son who I am so very very proud of, and always will be, and who meant the world to me.
Thank you.