Vale Robert Inglis

In years past I had the pleasure of dealing with Robert for weeks at a time in the course of volunteer work and like others was often caught up in his agent provocateur email threads. His acerbic wit (and perhaps wisdom) was on display in both forums. I will hold dear the memory of three of us (not counting Ben who was big enough to “sit” at the table) at dinner in the shearer’s quarters in Bowra, shivering in winter, after a long day chasing down a young PhD’s random points in the Wilga. These exertions were always recovered by extensive recourse to a libation of choice. The conversation had surprising turned to politics. One of us was (probably moi) was remonstrating loudly with young Inglis over some revisionist remark of his when out of his room sprung the said young PhD candidate. All three of us were sternly lectured about HIS responsibilities to make sure there was perfect harmony between HIS volunteers and definitely no conflict. Robert regarded the young blade with a wizened eye and told him, almost sotto vocé, to get back into his cubicle before his nappy was changed and that consenting adults had the right to beat the living crapper out of each other if that’s what they were inclined to. This had the desired effect and Inglis seamlessly picked up the thread of his outrageous discourse. Vale Robert Inglis.