Robert Henry Stevenson was born in Colac on 30 September 1868, just four weeks after his Irish parents, Edward and Margaret Stevenson, arrived in Victoria. Margaret had endured the long voyage heavily pregnant, and Robert became the first of their children to be born in Australia, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the Stevenson family.
Robert was a quiet and unassuming young man who was widely respected throughout the district. He was an active member of the Loyal Colac Lodge of Oddfellows, an organisation devoted to friendship, mutual support and community service.
Like many families of the era, the Stevensons were touched by tuberculosis, then known as Consumption. The disease had already claimed two of Robert's older sisters, and Robert himself suffered from it for a considerable period. Hoping to improve his health, he travelled to Western Australia however when he returned to Colac, the disease continued its relentless course.
Robert died on 15 September 1899, only days before his thirty-first birthday.
The respect in which he was held became evident immediately. A local newspaper reported that the Premier Band cancelled its customary Saturday evening performance following his death. At his funeral, around one hundred members of the Oddfellows marched in procession; reportedly the largest gathering yet seen at a Colac funeral.
Robert left no public record of great achievements, yet the regard shown by his friends, fellow Oddfellows and the wider community speaks eloquently of a life that touched many others and was deeply mourned when it ended.

Research by Merrill O’Donnell
Story by Lyn Heppner

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