Jeff Robinson was a driving force for sustainable building and precinct design work in Victoria, and widely recognised and appreciated as a leading light in the sustainability industry. He made huge personal and professional contributions before his untimely death in April 2024, and in memory of this great person, Jeff’s family, the WCLP ‘05 year group, and a group of Jeff’s friends and colleagues have come together to establish an ongoing Jeff Robinson Memorial Fund for Sustainability Leadership.  Scholarships from the Fund will support upcoming and inspiring leaders in the field of sustainability in the built environment, and the environment more broadly, to access Leadership Victoria (LV) programs. 

Jeff Robinson was a Fellow of LV’s flagship Williamson Community Leadership Program, and stood out immediately amongst his 2005 cohort for his enquiring mind and penchant for asking questions (he was usually the first to ask).  He was also well known for loving a joke and being immensely positive.  He never missed a WCLP session, and was always present at the “extra” tours, visits and events, excited to learn about every new topic affecting our society. He engaged with everyone, and genuinely cared about people and all the various activities they undertook.  

Jeff had an enormous thirst for knowledge and interacting with people, and was renowned for attending as many events as possible, often several in one evening.  This meant he had a massive network, both within his sector and across a variety of other interests.  

Jeff was passionate about music and loved attending festivals and concerts.  He loved history and was part of the preservation of many significant sites through his work with The Heritage Trust.  

Mostly though, Jeff was passionate about the planet and the sustainability of the built environment.  He could discuss these topics passionately for hours, and played a significant role in changing the standards we build to today, and building the sector, including mentoring many up and coming experts and leaders.

Jeff was not a “look at me” leader.  He was a true alchemist, bringing the right diversity of people together in the right environments to achieve his desired outcomes, which always had an altruistic focus on the good of others or our survival on the planet.  He was a genuine leader and person of influence in his own quiet, affable way. 

Jeff was a gentleman in every way, and his leadership and friendship will be sorely missed by many.  The Jeff Robinson Memorial Fund for Sustainability Leadership will commemorate his work and the amazing person he was.

Recipients of these scholarships will not only have the Leadership Victoria experience that meant so much to Jeff, but will also bring an environmental lens to the programs and people involved, as Jeff did for his own WCLP ’05 cohort. The scholarships will become a part of Jeff’s legacy by continuing to develop sustainability leaders, and to permeate continued consideration of the impacts of climate change on the built environment.

We aim to raise $30,000 annually to offer two scholarships – one for the Williamson Community Leadership Program (LV’s flagship 10-month program for mid-senior leaders) and one for the Igniting leadership Program (5-day program for emerging leaders).  

Please help ensure that Jeff’s memory lives on in this very practical way.