To the people at South Rhine Robert Robson was known as “Rob”.  And to the Jenner family  he was their Uncle Bob although not formally related. 

Robert Robson was born on 4 October 1903 at Hawthorn Farm, Durham, England to parents Robert Bamlet Robson and Isabella nee Farmer. Robert was the youngest of four children, his siblings being Annie born July 1899, Winifred born 18 August 1900 and Kathleen born April 1902.

In 1928 Rob left for South Australia on the Buteshire ship having secured employment on a station in the Flinders Ranges before leaving England arriving on 3 May 1928. He worked at Angorichina and Angipena stations. It appears he did not stay in this employment very long as he returned to Adelaide in the late 1920s or early 1930s, where he met John Jenner who was also unemployed.  This was the start of a long friendship between John and Robert.

Together they worked on the construction of the Mt Bold reservoir and while there, they purchased 25 acres of scrub at Mt Compass. They cleared the scrub when not working at the reservoir as they were both very good axe men. They sold the cleared block at Mt Compass to a dairy farmer for three times what they had purchased it for and then bought a block at Bangham in the Southeast of SA. It was the late 1930s when together with another person they purchased the Bangham property. They cleared the land and John married Norma Heath of Keyneton and lived in a log cabin on the Bangham property.

When Darwin was bombed both John and Rob tried to enlist but were rejected on health grounds.

On 24 December 1944 Rob’s sister Winifred was killed in a car accident in England. She had been looking after their parents in Hartlepool, Durham. Rob returned to England to care for his parents until their death in 1950. His father passed away on  17 February and his mother in March of the same year. Rob returned to South Australia in 1951 and together with John Jenner purchased 85 acres at Golden Grove in 1952. (John had sold the Bangham property and moved back to Adelaide living at Finniss St, North Adelaide and also Muller’s Rd, Greenacres.) The Golden Grove property was not as profitable a farm as they had hoped so they both had to seek employment off farm as well. They both worked at different places in Kilburn. Bill Jenner remembers when Rob had returned from England a big box was delivered to their home at Muller’s Road, Greenacres and inside was a motorbike that Rob had had sent out from England. He can remember ‘Uncle Bob’ riding off to work with a box on the back filled with eggs to sell to other employees when at Golden Grove.

Bill also reflected on Rob’s love of sport especially cricket. He would take Bill to the cricket and would look for someone who had binoculars and sit next to them and start a conversation and so in time the binoculars would be offered to Bill to watch the game. This happened on more than one occasion.

John Jenner was born on 28 May 1903 and was brought up by his Aunt Lucy and grandmother. Lucy Jenner was the school teacher at Springton and also Eden Valley. She was also good friends with Peter and Winnifred Miller. It was through this connection that John met his wife Norma Heath of Keyneton, Norma’s mother Fanny Heath was Winnifred, nee Goodes, sister. And so the link between the Miller’s and Rob Robson was formed.

Rob came to work for Les and Margaret Miller on Milford in 1955. Les passed away on 9 January 1956 and Rob continued to run the farm for Margaret and also helped with the running of Range View for Floss Miller after Will passed away on 8 December 1956. Rob passed away on 2 May 1977.

Compiled with information from Bill Jenner, John’s son.