Renowned earthquake engineer, inventor and much-loved family man Bill Robinson passed away on 17 Aug in Christchurch. He was holding hands with his wife and teenage-sweetheart, Barbara. After dong a PhD in Physical Metallurgy at the University of Illnois he joined the DSIR Physics and Engineering Laboratory (PEL) in 1967 as a scientist, eventually becoming Director (1985-91). He invented the most widely used seismic isolation device in the world, the Lead Rubber Bearing, in 1974, and went on to found Robinson Seismic Ltd in 1995. He has been honoured with many awards, including the Rutherford Medal and a Companion of the QSO. But he will be remembered most fondly by his family as an adventurous, determined and humourous man who overcame great physical challenges to live a very full life; passionate about his career but also devoted to his family.