A few weeks ago, Montmorency Secondary College Principal Allan Robinson had a fall at home, severely breaking his leg and unfortunately resulting in the discovery of something much more serious.
Before I go into detail of the current situation, without Allan Robinson, the Montmorency two court stadium and by extension the upcoming $18.5m stadium expansion, would not have happened. It is due to his combined passion for providing his school community with the very best facilities and supporting community basketball.
Allan is a terrific friend to basketball, but before we shared publicly, I wanted to make sure we had a chance to speak with him about the incident and how we communicated it. We were ok to share the news as long as we covered one very clear message for others to heed.
For a long time, Allan has suffered pain through his hip and leg, which he just thought was referred arthritic pain from old injuries. Unfortunately, Allan had a simple but devastating fall at home, leading to a stay in hospital. Upon investigation doctors found a tumour inside the bone requiring urgent attention. The result has seen Allan having much of his leg being reconstructed under serious surgeries. For the moment, the belief is that the tumour has been removed, but tests are ongoing. The serious nature of the surgeries mean Allan needs to learn how to walk once again. With the nature of COVID-19, Allan and his lovely wife Pam, have suffered through this separated. Their one time together throughout this time was to decide which procedure to undertake on his leg.
Allan’s message:
“Listen to your body. Don’t assume something or put it off. My leg was crying out for help and I ignored it. I’ve been given a second chance, but I am lucky. It is a very long road back, but I will do it, but I want people to understand the need to listen to their body.” -Allan Robinson.
For the past 18 months Allan has regularly quoted James Merlino’s comments “… we’ll make Montmorency Secondary the jewel in the education crown” a statement quoted with great pride! If you’ve spent any time around Allan, you’ll have picked up on the passion for his family, for Montmorency SC and basketball with a history of 50+ years with each.
What can we do to help? Allan has been blown away by the correspondence he has received from people including past and present members of the Wildcats. We are working with the extended family to figure out the best way to support this legend of the Montmorency and north-east Melbourne community. The immediate reaction has been incredible, but it will be the assistance in the months ahead which will be invaluable and we hope to be able to work towards giving back to a family that has given so much to our community.
Our love and best wishes are extended to Allan and Pam Robinson and their family.
Greg Jeffers
Chief Executive Officer
Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club
