Christopher Eldred Hindson: 08 June 1927 - 28 November 2016, Known As Robin

Christopher Eldred Hindson: 08 June 1927 - 28 November 2016, known as Robin

By Charles Hindson (from the address given at funeral)

Born at Beaulieu in the New Forest, and brought up in the age of Empire as an army child moving with his father's regiment of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers to Jersey, Gibraltar, Hong Kong and North Wales, he went to Maidwell Hall, Wellington College, and Trinity Cambridge, where he graduated in Agriculture in 1948.

He joined his godfather, Sir Thomas Barlow, in rubber planting, starting in London with stints in Kuala Lumpur when its manager was on long home leave. He supported the diversification to palm oil and helped integrate four plantation groups to take Highlands and Lowlands's acreage up from 15,000 to 72,000 acres. As the Commonwealth matured, Malaysia, after independence, gradually expected activities to move out there, with this completing at the end of the 1970s. This led to his retirement in 1982, after which he continued as a trustee for the Barlow family.

He married Margaret in St Margaret's, Westminster on 6 September 1958, and this lifelong partnership blossomed as a fulfilling and steadfast base for the happy family home for his two children and for him to have the mutual pleasure of knowing his five grandchildren.

His circles of friends were wide, reflecting his gregarious nature and genuine interest in people. He was always one for a good party, looking forward both to enjoying the company and the opportunity this gave for a well informed and didactic debate with his friends, whilst also, as a reflex to wartime rationing, the access to a good 'bun fight'. And as a joiner, he replaced London business affiliations with regular participation in the local Newick NADFAS in later years.

He was committed to service to the community, both Church and Politics.

When at Cambridge, he was born again though the Cambridge Inter-collegiate Christian Union and this gave him his profound faith through to the end, and his generous, yet quiet, commitment to charitable giving, even through straightened times. He served on the Scaynes Hill PCC and Cuckfield Deanery Synod for over 30 years, and the Chichester Diocesan Synod for 20 years.

A Conservative from his Cambridge days, he made his role both canvassing his local marginal constituencies, being Chairman of the village association for 19 years, and, with quiet satisfaction, served on committees that selected the constituency MP.

And lastly, there was his and Margaret's other love of the house and garden at Watlands, where they have lived for nearly 50 years. His commitment to the garden gave him profound pleasure in its changing beauty over the seasons and years. The garden also energised him as his second employ and particularly in recent years encouraged him back from health setbacks.

At his funeral service on 20 December 2016, Robin's life, lived to the full on his firm foundation of faith with his service to others, and his spirit of contentment for life's riches and fortitude in adversity, was celebrated.