Local Legend – Mick sets the record

Andrew Mathieson
MICK Robinson is living in the past, caught in a time warp that shows no sign of abating.
But time is irrelevant to one of Geelong’s most-dedicated historical archivists who never appears in too much of a rush.
Every birth, death and marriage registered in hospitals, morgues and churches never fails to catch Mick’s diligent eye for historical detail.
“I took over doing it from 1954 on,” Mick states, “that’s every day, except Sundays.”
He’s already indexed hundreds of thousands of records from microfilm into monthly books for Geelong Historical Society.
The former Bellarine councillor was lured onto the former shire’s historical records committee back in 1983. When his council disbanded a decade later, he got really serious.
Mick’s sometimes-astonishing finds have kept him obsessed with keeping local records.
“I couldn’t believe it when only a couple weeks ago I was doing 1984 and, lo and behold, I came across my mum’s death,” Mick recounts.
“I’ve come across a lot of family and friends’ records, too. Just in passing you see all the names of people you know, you stop and read them and it makes you think.”
The records date back to 1840 when people first started disembarking ships in Geelong’s port.
Sometimes Mick feels every one of those 170 years when rekindling moments of the past.
“Is it time-consuming?” he ponders. “Well, I’ve still got four years to go to catch up to the present.
“But I won’t be able to because I just haven’t got the time.”
Mick is a little piece of history himself after serving 59 consecutive years in local football circles.
His roles in the sport cover player, coach, umpire, club president, tribunal member and radio show panellist to even helping compile books on the history of local teams.
Mick’s footy history began with North Geelong under-18s back in 1952 before he shifted to Barwon Heads/Ocean Grove in the days when the bridge between the towns united rather than divided the community.
A move to Geelong West Cricket and Football Club ended in ignominy when a failed clearance to Leopold forced him to unexpectedly enter coaching ranks for Bell Park under-18s.
Standing out of playing for two years, Leopold paid back a loyal Mick in kind.
“That was an interesting experience,” he starts to laugh.
“I went to play as a contract player and what I got was a potato crop put in for me.
“Whatever it yielded, I got the money for playing.”
The crop was full with 10 tonnes of spuds and they paid 30 pounds a tonne.
“That was big money,” the 73-year-old continues, “far more than you would expect.”
Injuries from a few hard hits forced Mick to switch to umpiring, which led to whistle blowing in the then-VFL.
But when Newcomb started its own football club in 1975, Mick wanted to build it from the ground up – and for good reason. It was a home coming for the local lad.
“Everybody says ‘Mick, you should go here or there’ but as far as I’m concerned Newcomb is the greatest place in the world.”
However, Mick’s two years as president at Newcomb came to an unexpected end in a strange turn of events at Thomson when good mate and coach Terry Welch dragged him to the rival club one night in 1981.
“I walked into their annual meeting, didn’t know a soul and at the end of the night I was president of their club,” Mick smiles.