Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Robert Riddell Dunn was born on 12 April 1929 and passed away on 25 June 2018. First and foremost, Rob was a husband, a father and then a grandfather with very strong family values. I was lucky and privileged to have known Rob as a boss, as a friend, as a business partner and as a mentor. Rob was someone who I admired enormously, and I would have been proud to be a part of his family, but I was part of his business family for 15 years. The values he held embodied everything the Liberal Party stood for, and it was these values that taught me the path to this place. The values he had weren't taken from the Liberal Party; they were just his values.

Rob was a self-made man and a pioneer in his industry, and he not only carved success out for himself but was selfless in what he gave back. He couldn't have done it without the support of his beautiful wife, Faye, and his family. His desire to improve himself and make the necessary sacrifices to achieve his goals was a strength within him which saw him achieve many things in life. Rob was an Australian story of success, where he grew a business by hard work and enterprise after starting with nothing. Mr Speaker, there are many things I could share with you and the chamber on a personal level, like the fact we both loved the Melbourne Football Club and we both loved golf—but I need to move on.

I would like to give you a family perspective on Rob's life—and what a life it was, full of fun and adventure. This is from his eulogy: 'Rob's motto seemed to be "Have fun with Dunn". A great life, and a greatly respected man.' Anyone who met him seemed to somehow be touched by him, by his charisma and by his charm. He touched the lives of many people and in many places—in business, at Rotary, and at his beloved Commonwealth Golf Club, to name a few. When people heard of his passing, the main comments heard were that he was a wonderful, beautiful and gentle man—he made you feel special. It is hard to put into words his special characteristics: that twinkle in his all-knowing eyes, that cheeky grin, that firm, warm handshake, and that sense of fun.

Robert Riddell Dunn was born at 10 Regent Street, Brighton, to Harold Mirams Dunn and Daisy Riddell. He went to Wilson Street primary and Brighton Tech. At an early age, he was sent on his bike to get milk and was hit by a truck, which left him with some lifelong scars. But that didn't keep him off the bike, because he had to ride daily from Brighton to Footscray Tech to do his engineering studies. At Footscray Tech he became lifelong friends with Peter Thomson, the golfer. The flag at the Commonwealth Golf Club was lowered out of respect for each of these two great men. After graduating, Rob joined the SEC, initially at Newport Power Station, and then in the Kiewa Valley as a cadet engineer. Whilst working at Kiewa, the SEC bus he was in rolled over the mountainside, resulting in Rob suffering a broken back. But the SEC—or, as he referred to it, 'slow, easy and comfortable'—was certainly not the place for rushing Robert. At around this time, he met the love of his life, Faye Osborne, at the Ormond Hall dance, and then again at the Elwood Life Saving Club. They married on 9 August 1952, a strong and beautiful marriage that lasted for the next 65 years. They travelled the world together, had two kids, six grandchildren and a thoroughly enjoyable life together. Their relationship has been a great model for the rest of their family.

In 1953, Rob started working at Hendy Industries as sales manager doing residential and commercial heating. At this time, a new thing called air conditioning sparked his interest, and he saw a business opportunity. America was the home of air conditioning, so he wrote to several companies in the US to try and gain experience. Chrysler, the motor company, was interested, and soon Faye and Rob were over at Chrysler's air-conditioning factory in Dayton, Ohio. Rob learnt the air-conditioning business and Chrysler then sent him to Adelaide to their manufacturing plant and to distribute their Airtemp products. His daughter, Bambi, was born in Adelaide in 1958. In September 1960, he left Chrysler on good terms to set up his own company, Dunn Air Conditioning, in Moray Street, South Melbourne, distributing Chrysler products. His son, Brad, was born a few months later.

He travelled to Japan and many other places around the world picking up products, and then he opened offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide, followed by international expansion into Singapore and Hong Kong. There was no stopping him. Rob was, as I said, a self-made man. In 1985 he sold the manufacturing side, much to his regret, to the EmailAir company and then focused on his market strengths. Unfortunately, he had to sell the manufacturing as he was forced out by the unions.

With the short time I have left, I pass on my sympathy to the Dunn family, particularly to Faye, Brad and Bambi. Rest in peace, Rob.