Peter Robbins OAM was very much a ‘backstage man’, happy to be out of the limelight, but toiling nonetheless with his wife Judith, to make other people happy.
Sadly, Mr Robbins lost his battle to cancer at the age of 83 on March 21, after being diagnosed in November.
Judith spent the last two days and nights at Peter’s bedside holding his hand in the palliative care wing of the Bairnsdale hospital.
“The hospital staff were particularly wonderful to me and my family and they brought me in a couch but I would have loved to have got into bed with him,” she said.
“I got as close as I could to him but the beds are that narrow.”
And so the idea to raise money for a ‘Cuddlebed’ for the ward in memory of Peter was formed.
Following Judith’s wishes, grandson, James Blandford, started a GoFundMe page with the aim of raising$10,000 for one of the beds.
Judith also requested donations in lieu of flowers.
“I’m extremely confident we will reach our goal and I’d love to see this exceeded so we can purchase two beds, like Nan wants,” James said.
“We’ve raised more than$3000 in nine days.
“This is something that should be in every hospital for grieving families to have the opportunity to cuddle their dying loved ones.”
Judith said Peter wouldn’t have wanted a big fuss made of him.
“We are very much backstage people,” she said.
“He was a very gentle man and a real gentleman.”
The Robbins epitomise kindness and compassion and for James, his grandfather also had a lot of patience.
“Nan had all the big ideas with the wedding business and he always went along with them. He also had four daughters so he needed patience!
“Nan and Pa definitely instilled community values in me and a love of organising events.
“Pa was always good to go to for advice and always interested in what everyone had been up to.”
The farmers-turned-wedding decorators had celebrated 60 years of marriage with family and friends on February 23.
The couple was also awarded the Order of Australia in 2015 for their work with Annie’s Cottage.
In operation for 30 years this April, the respite house has given hundreds of families with a child who has a life-threatening illness a holiday.
“This is one way of giving back to Nan and Pa who have given so much time helping families going through a similar time of making the end of life more comfortable and enjoyable for the families involved,” James said.
At the time of going to press yesterday, the GoFundMe page had raised $7700 in just 11 days, not bad considering the family originally hoped to raise their target by Mr Robbins’ birthday on April 15.
In fact, this Friday will mark Judith’s 80th birthday, and James hopes to achieve the first bed by that time and possibly enough money for a second bed by April 15.
IMAGE: Judith and Peter Robbins, of Lindenow South, with their grandson, James Blandford, pictured in February. The family is raising money for a Cuddlebed for the palliative care ward at Bairnsdale hospital as a legacy for Mr Robbins. (PS)