OBITUARY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26944, 21 January 1953, Page 3

OBITUARY

MR K. W. ROBINSON Mr K. W. Robinson, a leading figure in the insurance field in New Zealand, died at Tauranga on Monday. He was chairman of directors of K. W. Robinson Attorneys, Ltd. Mr Robinson was born in Melbourne and entered the insurance business there as a youth, joining.. the Northern Assurance Company after a brief period with their chief agents in Melbourne. Early in the century he came to New Zealand as inspector for New Zealand for the company. He resigned from their service in 1915 to join the late Mr George Aitken, as chief agents for the Northern Company in Canterbury, on the death of the late Mr J. H. Aitken, who was killed in Gallipoli.

In addition to representing the Northern Company in the South Island, he was appointed attorney for New Zealand for the American Foreign Insurance Association and the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, Ltd., in 1919. Fourteen years later he was also appointed attorney for New Zealand of the Pearl Insurance Company, Ltd., of London. In the course of time the name of the firm has been changed and it is now known as K. W. Robinson Attorneys, Ltd.

For 26 years from 1923. Mr Robinson was a member of the Christchurch Fire Board and for the last eight years of that period he was deputy-chairman of the board. He was a member of the' executive of the council of the Fire and Accident Underwriters’ Association of New Zealand for about 25 years, and was chairman of the Canterbury Fire and Accident Underwriters’ Association in 1927. During World War II he was superintendent of the emergency fire service for Christchurch city. Mr Robinson was also a Justice of the Peace.

For some years Mr Robinson was an executive member of the Christchurch Golf Club and at the time of his death he was an honorary member of the club. He is survived by his wife, who is living at Tauranga, and two daughters —Mrs Gilbert Matthews and Miss Chisne Robinson (Auckland). MR R. W. ARNOLD The death occurred in Christchurch recently of Mr Richard William Arnold, a son of the late Fred and Drucilla Arnold, of Lyttelton. He was aged 70. Mr Arnold was born in Lyttelton, and was a member of an artillery battery during his youth. He joined the staff of the Lyttelton prison' in 1905 and was associated with prison administration for 40 years before he retired in January. 1945. He was stationed at Invercargill for 16 years oefore his retirement, during the last 11 years of which he was superintendent of the Borstal institution. After his retirement Mr Arnold came to live in Christchurch and at his home on Cashmere Hills he was Able to devote a great deal of time to his hobbies of gardening and model boat building. He is survived by his wife and two sons, Messrs' E. W. Arnold, of Heathcote, and C. M. Arnold, of Riccarton. MR B. C. ROBBINS (New Zealand Press Association) WANGANUI. January 20. A former member of the New Zealand Legislative Council, Mr Benjamin Conrad Robbins, died in Wanganui this morning, aged 97. Mr Robbins was born in Nova Scotia, and came to New Zealand in 1874. He was a former Mayor of Hawera and later Mayor of Tauranga. and was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1936, serving until 1950. When in Taranaki Mr Robbins established a dairy factory, one of the first in New Zealand, and he helped found the New Zealand National Dairy Association. He was also prominently associated with the organisation and development of fire brigades, and was president of the New Zealand Fire Brigades’ Association in 1895. He served also on hospital boards in Taranaki and in Tauranga.