Robyn Stanley

A bit of a sadder post today.

Robyn Stanley passed away last Thursday. Robyn was the wife of my coach Daryl Stanley as well as a whole lot of other things to an awful lot of other people. She will be sorely missed by the entire Australian Triathlon community.

Besides being a wife and mother, Robyn was a stalwart of the Darwin Triathlon scene, physically dragging Darwin Tri club through some of their tougher times when club committee numbers and motivation were low.. Always happy to let others take the lead when they wanted it, but always ready to help and if necessary pick up the pieces if things fell a part. One of the main driving forces behind so much of what works well at the Darwin Tri Club.

Whilst she was a gifted organiser and a driving force in the local club, where Robyn really shone in triathlon was a fierce competitor, getting to and completing Kona 4 times. That pretty much says all you need to know about her racing ability, multiple Kona finisher. However, leaving it there would be to sell Robyn short because as well as being a fierce competitor she also left a mark on everyone she met. I have traveled and raced quite a bit and it was always easy to find people who knew Robyn, no matter where you were people had met and remembered Robyn, such was the impression she left on people. Tough to race, kind and generous to know, impossible to forget.

To countless people in Darwin she was simply a very good friend, somebody to confide in and rely on. I have several good friends in Darwin for whom Robyn became a sort of surrogate Grandmother. Always ready for a walk or a swim or just a coffee. A generous spirit.

The people who's lives she has touched and the impacts she left on them are countless and the hole she is leaving behind is equally difficult to fathom. I only knew her for about 7 years but I won't forget any of those moments.

Rest in peace Robyn, you will be missed by us all.