Sun | Apr 5, 2026

Discovery Bauxite’s oldest retiree Aldin Robinson celebrated 99 years

Published:Saturday | December 3, 2022 | 12:06 AM
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Aldin ‘Robbie’ Robinson with wife and friends at his Discovery Bay residence: L-R, Mervis Gordon, Evelyn Higgins, and wife Mrs. Margaret Robinson
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Aldin ‘Robbie’ Robinson with wife and friends at his Discovery Bay residence: L-R, Mervis Gordon, Evelyn Higgins, and wife Mrs. Margaret Robinson
Aldin Robinson at 92 years, responds to a Discovery Bay community council award presented in 2015 for ‘his distinguished service to the community, the church, and to the bauxite industry as a role model for character development and outstanding community
Contributed
Aldin Robinson at 92 years, responds to a Discovery Bay community council award presented in 2015 for ‘his distinguished service to the community, the church, and to the bauxite industry as a role model for character development and outstanding community leadership’.
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Discovery Bauxite’s oldest retiree, Aldin Robinson, celebrated 99 years on November 20 and he’s still going strong.

The grand old bauxite industry veteran laughed and sang choruses and conversed with visitors as he recounted days spent with Kaiser Bauxite Company (KBC) and successive companies.

‘Robbie’, as he is affectionately known, was one of the first KBC employees when Kaiser commenced operations at Little Pedro, a small fishing village within sight of Alligator Pond.

He worked with the survey and construction teams that transformed Little Pedro from 1952 to 53 into an industrial estate to house the port and drying facilities to be known as Port Kaiser.

Robbie moved over to Discovery Bay in the early 1960s when Kaiser transferred its operations to St Ann.

“I worked in every area ... in the railroad construction, surveying areas, and I helped to set out the port area, the harbour and dock, and even the sports club grounds,” he recalled.

He remembered well his original crew of ‘Marshy’ and ‘Rupie’. The three bonded since 1961 and worked together for many years on the bauxite construction projects.

In December 2015, Robbie was honoured by the bauxite community council for his ‘distinguished service to the community, the church, and to the bauxite industry as a role model for character development and outstanding community leadership’.

He has been a stalwart of the church and served as a deacon at Waltham Abbey Baptist Church for 17 years, and deacon of the Old Folly New Testament Church from 1974 until his retirement.

His strong voice thundered around church services and conventions for many years, and he thanks God for giving him a long life.

Robbie has also been a peacemaker for his district and is well loved and respected in and around Discovery Bay and St Ann.

“The bauxite industry, as I have known it for 70 years, has been good to me and good to the communities. It provided work for hundreds of us, built schools and sent many children to school.”

Born in Farm Town, St Ann, Robbie resides in Discovery Bay with his wife, Margaret, and has seven children and many grandchildren.