Tower and Town, March 2023 (view the full edition)Family NewsPaul Cowan writes: John Robins was born in 1943, was brought up in St John's Close, and his school years were spent in Marlborough. One of his interests was electricity, and on leaving school in 1957 he entered a 5-year apprenticeship with the SEB, on completion of which he joined Marlborough College's estate department as an electrician. This is where he met John Head. In 1965 the two Johns started their own company 'Head and Robins', initially from a shed in St John's Close, before moving to Pewsey, and later opening a second shop in Marlborough High Street. They were the go-to electrical company for some 35 years, their activities included domestic and industrial installation, re-wiring, repairs and maintenance of all things electrical, and of course managing the two shops in Pewsey and Marlborough. The Pewsey workshop repaired anything from a bedside lamp to a corn drier control system. John retired from the company in 2002 when he was 60. At the same time as starting the business John met Anne and in 1968 they married. Sally was born in 1969 and Debbie in 1972. They lived in a new bungalow which was built by Dewey's and wired by John to save money, and this was their home for 45 years. John had many interests, and as the children progressed through school he became a Governor at both Rushall and then St John's School. He was Chairman of the Pewsey Chamber of Commerce, and was then persuaded to become a Magistrate, an office he held for 17 years sitting on the bench in Marlborough, Pewsey, Devizes. In this role John and Anne attended the state opening of Parliament twice and a Palace Garden party, John hiring his suit in London and changing into it in a car park. In the early 1980s John got an interest in militaria, renovating a Landrover and later converting an Austin K2 into a motor home. He and Richard Bedall spent many hours and great fun maintaining and driving Richard's extensive fleet of old military vehicles, many of them used in film sets seen by us all. Often the family would go to Normandy for D Day landing events. At John's suggestion 'Head and Robins' vans were used for many years as mobile change vans for Pewsey Carnival. John joined Rotary in 1980 and brought so much to the organisation. Following a family trip to Canada he introduced us to the Car Boot Sale which we ran in Waitrose car park on bank holidays when the store was closed, and he helped organise the old folks' Christmas Parties. John was a driving force in Rotary. In the years he was involved he helped Rotary International raise millions of pounds in aid of good causes including the eradication of polio, mercy ships, schools in Zambia, cows for Africa, many hurricane appeals, as well as helping local schools with mock interviews, photography, science, young chef competitions, in addition to assisting all the vulnerable in our community. John was club President twice, and his contribution to Rotary was recognised by Rotary International when he was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship Award. My abiding memory will be that John was a devoted and loyal husband, father, grandfather, and friend to so many. He was always polite, disliked conflict, never raised his voice or used bad language, and was always fair. Then when all was said and done, and the final toast drunk, he would light that damn pipe!! Jessy Pomfret |