I’m Tricia, Rob’s Dad’s cousin. Our Dad’s are brothers so I was born a Turpitt. Dave’s 9 months older than me so I’ve known him all my life, and of course I have known Robin for all his life too.
It’s difficult to make sense of what has happened over the last 2 weeks. I’m sure we all know how devastated we felt when we heard about Robin and Pete last week. Many of you have visited and left flowers at the tree where the accident happened and have left messages on the Southampton Echo website; expressing your sadness and for some a sense of helplessness at the situation. We are all united in our grief for the waste of such young lives.
My family – my husband and daughters have many happy memories of Robin, family holidays, get togethers, especially when our children were little- even Robin and my daughter Gemma getting up to mischief here in this church at a family wedding. I asked her for one of her memories of Robin and she said playing tennis at Robin and Sara’s nanny’s house and for those of you who know Robin’s nanny the tennis court was the path out the front of the house.
We were at Dave’s last week remembering different events in Rob’s life looking at photos that I had never seen of Rob and my daughter when they were small and some of my memories will be similar to those of our family; Robin and other cousins playing at Christmas and other family celebrations, playing up the road in the park. We have a lovely video of Robin playing on a bouncy castle at a family christening when he would have been four years old, he had a zest for life even as a young boy.
I know from all the lovely messages on the website from Rob’s friends that you cared a lot for Robin, hopefully we will have the chance to talk to some of you later about your memories, the things you and Rob got up to – well the censored version for us oldies!
Yes we all have different memories of Robin from various times in his active life, but I think we would all agree that Robin liked to have fun and enjoy life and he was a good friend to have.
So how do we make sense of it?
For me I think about where I live just outside Bath, where the Romans have left their mark with the buildings that help us remember that they lived there. I am comforted to know that Robin won’t be remembered because of a monument or building, but the person he was will be remembered here in Chandler’s Ford, and wherever we his friends and family are.
We will remember the happy young man, his sense of fun, his laugh, his friendship and companionship, we will think of him as a caring brother, a loving son, and a happy grandson, a special cousin, a friend…. I am sure we are all thankful to Robin for what he taught us and gave us and are touched by knowing him and his memory lives on in our hearts not to make us sad but to be glad to have known and loved him.
I am sure that you will all agree that we are privileged and better people for knowing Robin in our lives.
God Bless you Robin.