At Royal Freemasons, we are privileged to care for many people who have lived extraordinary lives, and Robbie O’Brien, a resident at our Centennial Lodge aged care home in Wantirna South, is no exception.
Born with cerebral palsy, Robbie has always had a determined desire for independence, which has driven him to make life-changing modifications for people with disabilities at a time when there was great ignorance and indifference about their lived experience.
In the 1980s, when he sold newspapers in the city, Robbie found the simple act of moving from the road to the pavement near impossible with his scooter as there were few access points apart from driveways. “I rode on the road. I had no choice,” he says.
Rightly frustrated, Robbie lodged a complaint with Melbourne City Council and kept lobbying them until changes were made. As a result, many more kerb cuts were installed in Melbourne city streets to make the transition from road to pavement accessible for people with disabilities. Robbie also successfully advocated for the introduction of portable ramps on trains for people in wheelchairs.
Over the years, Robbie has continued his important advocacy work for people with disabilities, serving on the executive board of committees in numerous organisations.
But Robbie’s proudest achievement was marrying the love of his life, Jeanie, in 1978 — the first disabled couple to get married in Australia. The two of them met while they were residents at Rattray-Wood House. Because of many naysayers and the pressure of societal disapproval, getting to the altar proved to be a fight, but they made it and enjoyed four precious years of married life until Jeanie sadly passed away in the early 1980s.
As Robbie writes in his memoir, “Before we met, Jeanie and I had lived a life defined by acknowledging our limitations and managing our expectations. It was the last thing either of us could have expected, falling in love as we did. It was certainly the last thing anyone around us anticipated, but from that moment on, there were no limitations, and our expectations were only as big as our imagination.”
While Robbie’s mobility has declined over the years, his zest for life has not. Just ask his good friend Bob who visits him twice a week at Centennial Lodge, “Robbie has a great sense of humour; he’s really funny, and he’s really determined and relentless,” says Bob.
Robbie’s determined spirit shines through his own words as he reflects on his great love and life: “My name is Robert O’Brien…I loved and still love my wife so much that I fought for years for the right to marry her…I have clashed with Melbourne City Council on many acts of supporting the disabled community…I sold literally a million Herald Suns from my street corner… I have sat on the executive board of a number of committees across dozens of organisations. I still attend church every week. Last and most definitely least, I have a disability.”
