Some of Rob’s strongest memories are of his parents. While his biological mother is central to the family, it is Doug, who became a father figure in Rob’s life. Doug was a mentor and a solid source of support throughout his life. The strong connection to Doug was evident as Rob spoke about him.

It was also clear that Rob’s faith in God has been another pillar for him throughout life. From a young age, Rob was involved in church life, and his faith guided him to find his purpose and community.

He proudly talks about volunteering and leadership roles, ushering duties, and helping others feel included in that community environment. Rob describes faith as something more than what you believe; faith becomes a part of your fabric, through relationships, encouragement, and supporting others through life's challenges.

Speaking about himself, life has not always been easy for Rob, as he reluctantly reaches deeper into his memories. Moving to the South Island as a young person brought significant disruption and change, but also later in life, he faced traumatic challenges that further altered the course of his life, impacting his long term mental health. 

Looking back, Rob describes those life experiences as some of the hardest he has endured in life. Yet he came out of that crucible wiser, more self-aware, and learned the value of accepting support from others. Today, he speaks openly about the importance of his church community, friendships who helped him through trauma, but also reinforces a point that seeking help is important when facing life's challenges alone. 

These days, Rob keeps busy with a mix of interests that keeps his curious mind occupied, and meets his desire to stay connected to people. He talks about his interests with excitement, some of which include AI and technology, watching sports, attending bible study groups, a bit of basketball thrown in, and of course, spending time with friends. Rob also made a comment about chess, so I had to ask if he was any good. I'm OK, was the response, with a cheeky smile.

Looking ahead, Rob sees the next chapter of his life as full of possibility and busyness. While he has experienced life challenges he chooses to focus his energy on building relationships, his strong faith, and supportive community.

Rob invited me to take his portrait at a park near his home in Dunedin, and so that is where this version of him was captured. What would people think of Rob in the future, I asked him.

“He was a good friend.”