ROBINSON, Reverend Charles Alexander

1849  -  1935

For his involvement in the spiritual welfare, social fabric and culture of Creswick and community.

 

Reverend Charles Alexander Robinson was born in Antrim, Ireland in 1849. Having graduated B.A. at Trinity College, Dublin, he was ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Ireland on 9th March, 1875.  He sailed for Melbourne on the steamship ‘Jason’ arriving on 27th June.

In August, the congregations of St. Andrews Church, Creswick and Scrub Hill, Dean, unanimously agreed that Rev. Robinson be ‘called’ as Minister of the congregations.  He was inducted into the ‘charge’(position) on Wednesday December 8th, 1875.

Within a few years he was playing a leading role in the cultural and community life of the towns.

In 1881 he spoke as Chairman of the Debating Club and at a concert given by the Creswick Mutual Improvement Association in support of a library.

In 1881 he also became Moderator of the Ballarat Presbytery.

In 1882, as a founding member of the recently formed Choral Society, he arranged for them to have the use of the Sunday School organ.

In December, 1882, in company with the Ministers of other Creswick churches, he spent many hours at the Minehead at the site of the Australasian Mine disaster.  Although only one of the trapped men was in his congregation, he gave comfort and help to many relatives of those who perished.

In 1883 he married Mary Munro of ‘Snizort’, Glendonald whose family were well known in the district.  They had six children; three who died at birth, a daughter, Maud Marion (1884-1974), a son, Angus Munro (1887-1971), and a sixth child who died one month after the sad death in 1893 of Mrs Mary Robinson.

He became a Freemason of Creswick Havilah Lodge in 1886, Master in 1890 and Grand Chaplain of the Victorian Freemasons Lodge in 1891.

He Judged the “best comic recitation” at the Creswick A.N.A. meeting and suggested forming an elocution class.

He supported the Ladies Benevolent Society, originally set up in Melbourne in 1851.  This Society carried out important work in assisting needy women and children with shelter, food and clothing.  Rev. Robinson was elected to the Committee in 1886 and became President in 1888.

 

2.

1887 was a busy year for Reverend Robinson.  He became Moderator of the Ballarat Presbytery again. He was President of the Creswick Mechanic’s Institute and Free Library – he had worked tirelessly for the latter. He was also Vice President of the Choral Society.  He was a member and chaired a committee of the Disaster Relief Fund for the sufferers of a mining disaster at Bulli, NSW.

In 1896 he married Anne Stahmer, a member of a local family, with whom he had three daughters.

He had been a member of the Creswick Hospital Committee for some time and was President in 1906-7.  He also gave a lecture on ‘Liberty’ to the Creswick Branch of the A.N.A.

Only two years after the Boy Scouts movement was started in Britain by Robert Baden Powell, Reverend Robinson was noted as Scoutmaster of a group in Creswick, in 1909

In 1913 Rev. Robinson was made Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria.  He resigned from St. Andrews in 1917 and a valedictory social was held for him. Statements were made such as “Anything for the uplifting of man had his hearty support…” and “He had always been at the fore in every good work, and had been of great assistance in public matters”.

Rev. Charles Alexander Robinson served not only the Presbyterian congregations, but all the community for a period of 42 years.

He died in 1935 and is buried in the Creswick Cemetery.