Theophilus Robin (pronounced ROE-bin) (c. 1830 – 19 September 1874) was a pioneer timber merchant in the early days of colonial South Australia. He was a brother of prominent businessman

James Robin James Robin (pronounced ROE-bin) (14 November 1817 – 23 July 1894) was a prominent businessman in the early days of colonial South Australia. Several of his descendants were significant, in the Methodist Church and other fields. Also worthy of ...

(1817–1894) and Adelaide land agent Charles Robin (c. 1826 – 27 November 1872).

History

Robin was born in

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

, a son of Nicholas Robin (c. 1788 – 5 January 1873), and his wife Esther Robin, née De Quetteville (c. 1819 – 20 August 1855). She was a daughter of Rev. Jean de Quetteville "The Apostle of French Methodism". In 1854 he took over the Lipson Street, Port Adelaide warehouse of S. R. Clarke & Co. He was a partner in Padman & Co to 1864, then as timber merchant, built up premises on corner of Lipson Street and Port Road as Sarnia Timber Yard and Sarnia Steam Mills. In 1859 Theophilus Robin and shipping agent Peter Le Messurier formed a partnership as Robin & Le Messurier. The partnership was dissolved on 31 August 1872. leaving Theophilus to concentrate on the Sarnia Timber business. He was a member of the Adelaide Philosophical Society and the Wesleyan Methodist church and for many years superintendent of the Archer Street Wesleyan Sunday School. Theophilus Robin married Stella Ann Ansell (c. 1837 – 19 July 1916) on 1 March 1855. Their children included: *Theophilus Hedley Robin (1859 – 12 June 1940) was a partner with Simon Harvey, Malcolm P. Reid (1882–1876) (son of Malcolm D. Reid) and William Haslam in Globe Timber Mills around 1920. *Percy Ansell Robin MA (Lond), D.Litt. (1861 – 28 May 1937), was educated at

Prince Alfred College Prince Alfred College is a private, independent, day school, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, South Australia, Kent Town, near the Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, South Australia. One of th ...

. He was a fine cricketer, playing for Queensland, and had a distinguished career as a teacher in private schools, including Ipswich Grammar, where he was appointed Classical Master in 1886 and acting head two years later, and headmaster of the Church of England Grammar School, Ballarat in 1910, He was the author of ''Animal Lore in English Literature'' John Murray London 1932 Theophilus died of

erysipelas Erysipelas () is a relatively common bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin ( upper dermis), extending to the superficial lymphatic vessels within the skin, characterized by a raised, well-defined, tender, bright- red rash, ...

following an infected boil on his leg, leaving a widow and nine children. His widow took on

Theodore Hack Theodore Hack (17 November 1840 – 27 December 1902) was a South Australian politician. He was born at Echunga, South Australia a son of John Barton Hack and his wife Bridget Hack, née Watson, and was educated at the Adelaide Educational Ins ...

as business partner, styling the business Robin & Hack. It was known simply as "Hack's Timber Yard" on 11 November 1884 when fire broke out, destroying not only the timber but woodworking machinery worth £5,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robin, Theophilus 1830s births 1874 deaths Colony of South Australia people Australian timber merchants 19th-century Australian businesspeople