_RT_
Hall of Famer
- Sep 17, 2006
- 44,579
- 82,891
- AFL Club
- Richmond
- Other Teams
- Furies Premiers 2010
You probably don’t know the story of Sapper Rowan Robinson, but you should.
While attention this week turns naturally and appropriately to the veterans of past conflicts – the original ANZACs of WWI, the diggers of WWII, the damaged and dead conscripts of Vietnam, and so many other theatres of war – the Anzac Eve game between Richmond and Melbourne has become a welcome platform to celebrate the many modern Australian soldiers also making a sacrifice for their country. Robinson made the ultimate sacrifice.
He was just 23 when he was killed, on Monday, June 6, 2011, by insurgent gunfire in Afghanistan. The surfer, athlete, musician, larrikin, son, brother and mate was serving as a combat engineer with the Special Operations Task Group in Helmand Province – a risky role, with an elite group, in a bloody battleground.
Speak to his family and friends and peers, it becomes clear that Rowan was an exceptional young man. And so at the invitation of the Richmond Football Club, his parents – Peter and Marie – will make the journey from their northern New South Wales home this week to be at the MCG as the darkened stadium falls silent and The Last Post is played.
Read More: Remembering Sapper Rowan Robinson
While attention this week turns naturally and appropriately to the veterans of past conflicts – the original ANZACs of WWI, the diggers of WWII, the damaged and dead conscripts of Vietnam, and so many other theatres of war – the Anzac Eve game between Richmond and Melbourne has become a welcome platform to celebrate the many modern Australian soldiers also making a sacrifice for their country. Robinson made the ultimate sacrifice.
He was just 23 when he was killed, on Monday, June 6, 2011, by insurgent gunfire in Afghanistan. The surfer, athlete, musician, larrikin, son, brother and mate was serving as a combat engineer with the Special Operations Task Group in Helmand Province – a risky role, with an elite group, in a bloody battleground.
Speak to his family and friends and peers, it becomes clear that Rowan was an exceptional young man. And so at the invitation of the Richmond Football Club, his parents – Peter and Marie – will make the journey from their northern New South Wales home this week to be at the MCG as the darkened stadium falls silent and The Last Post is played.
Read More: Remembering Sapper Rowan Robinson