What was it about Jeff Robinson that has spawned such an incredible outpouring of grief and sadness for the sense of loss that his passing has brought about?
Jeff was ostensibly an engineer working for just two companies for his entire life – and more than 20 at the latest Aurecon. By some unusual quirk his bosses clearly endorsed his enormous contribution to almost every official and unofficial group and effort the industry had to offer. After his passing, it emerged there were dozens – perhaps more – people, young in particular, who cited him as their mentor and inspiration.
A look at his social media pages showed he seemed to be everywhere, all at once, wrapping arms around colleagues and peers, with his generous comments spurring others on with congratulations and urging always better outcomes.
Where did he get the time? It’s a question we often asked ourselves. We still don’t know the answer to that. But even more important is what was it about the man and what was it about this industry that made Jeff Jeff?
Certainly, whatever the influences they fell on fertile ground.
Right from the start we’ve said this industry is incredible – it attracts the most generous, heartfelt, intelligent and creative people. And they’re exciting! As journalists all we have to do is pick up the phone to one or other contact to see what they’re up to, to discover another new thread of innovation and original thinking.
At its best it generates goodwill like no other. Partly it must be the scale of the ambitions – no less than saving humanity and this beautiful planet. Partly it must be the grandeur of the generosity of spirit it calls up to undertake such a thing. And partly it’s the humility that recognises that each of us and every one of us is a flawed, limited mortal who by definition can never be equal to the task before us, alone.
We accept that we are part of a bell curve. There’s the pointy often annoying, sometimes illegal bit at the front, made up of people like hardened activists like Extinction Rebellion who throw themselves down on roads to disrupt everyday life, and with it the implicit right of everyone else to ignore what’s going on at the global level – even imminently – sometimes because it truly is too awful to look at.
Then there’s the bulky bit in the middle that we hope to stuff so large that the whole thing reaches tipping point and topples over into the war-like footing we need. And let’s not be mealy-mouthed about this particular “just” war we need to have (Imagine the resources currently ploughed into Gaza and Ukraine diverted to this job).
The humility needs to kick in early. We need to give ourselves generously, but not so much that it depletes our spirit and our strength. We need to listen to the counsel of others but not to the extent it blurs our instinct for what is right. We need to prosecute our great ideas and inventions but not to the extent that we don’t recognise when they fail and we need to pull back.
We need to know when to give up. As when to never give up.
This is such a strange and unusual industry. It wants no less than to turn back the history of this planet.
For most of humanity’s existence we have seen the world as massive – larger than ourselves, more powerful, more infinite in its secrets and sense of discovery – both beautiful and fearsome.
Since 1969 when we flew to the moon our view of this planet has flipped. From space we saw a fragile tiny Earth, a whisper in the roar of a universe that could disappear in a breath.
We have finally surpassed the power of this planet and made her our dependent ward.
How are we to turn this around and make Earth bigger than us again, more powerful?
In his tall burly frame, Jeff Robinson seemed to embody so many of the giant human attributes we need to do this thing.
How else to explain him? The way he seemed everywhere, doing everything, all at once? Always with humour, eyes crinkled in laughter, praising, especially the young as it’s emerged, challenging the bad policies, prodding always for better outcomes – “with love” as so many people put it.
We know these things now, in his absence. Because he was not the type to seek recognition and praise.
So who will take his place? And how will we know if like Jeff they are low key and do much of their work behind the scenes?
Maybe there will never be a single person and in a way, we hope that’s the case because that will keep us all wondering. We may get a sense of that special thing, now and then, a brush with that Jeff spirit.
And just in case we might be inclined to treat that person with special care – give them a leg up.
Jeff died relatively young. It’s hard to say this but in a way, we could see it as a final parting gift. In our minds and memory he will forever be the strong quiet force moving among us, felt but not quite fully acknowledged, somehow lifting us.
We need that special Jeff thing now more than ever
The forecast is grim. There are massive advances in the understanding and resourcing of sustainability and climate action, but the timing is off.
And pushback from the enemies of the people and the planet is fierce – the best that money can buy. For instance oil companies now starting to work on building huge plastics plants because while the attention is on green fuel these oil companies know we are losing the battle on plastics.
We mentioned a war like footing. Let’s not be naïve and think we can kumbaya our way to a better planet. For the vanguard and hump of our bell curve, sure. But for the rump let’s remember there is not a soul among the purveyors of oil, coal, gas, toxic chemicals, tobacco, weapons, land grabs, deforestation and human exploitation that doesn’t have the same single driver – themselves. Through money, power, whatever.
And let’s remember that Jeff might have been generous with his encouragement and praise but he was also ready with his withering questions when these was warranted.
And they’re warranted now more than ever.