We have lost a central figure of our family at Mairangi Medical Centre. We know that the huge sadness and loss that we feel is shared by many, many others of the extended MMC family of Graham's patients, many of whom have regarded him as a friend, as well as their doctor for the last 23 years.

This picture of Graham finds him at work in his famous worn-out armchair inherited from his predecessor, Dr Andrew Blair, and recently (sadly and reluctantly) consigned to the inorganic rubbish collection. Note also the crutch ready to support his body, which had been recently broken by his 2007 bike accident. As we all now know, cycling had by this stage become Graham's passion. He loved the exercise and fitness which the cycling brought, but most of all he loved the camaraderie and friendships which were associated with his regular long excursions with his cycling buddies in their quest for the perfect coffee destination.

Most recently Graham had been preparing for and talking about next year's fundraising event - the Great Ride for Heart 2010. Every cent raised through sponsorship of the cyclists in this event goes directly into the Heart Foundation's Cardiovascular Research Fund at the University of Auckland. We suggest that those who wish to contribute to this cause should sponsor Graham for this event by making a donation through the Heart Racer website: www.heartracer.org.nz/GrahamRobinson - what better way to commemorate the life of a man such as this?

It may comfort some to know that Graham's family readily agreed for him to be an organ donor, and his death has brought new hope for several seriously ill people. We know that Graham's approach to life would have unquestionably favoured this selfless ultimate generosity.

If you have not already seen it, there is a book at the MMC reception for recording condolences for the Robinson family. Please feel free to come in and share your thoughts about Graham.

Graham came from Taihape to Mairangi Bay to live and work with his wife Lin and their 5 children in 1986, and he has remained here ever since. Taihape's loss was our gain, and we have been entertained over the decades since by stories of a hard-working country GP delivering hundreds of babies, pulling people out of car crashes, and dealing more or less single-handedly with a myriad of medical emergencies. Graham settled into city life easily, developing an interest in aviation, leading to his work as a high level examiner for the Civil Aviation Authority, and to his own personal pilot's licence. Graham trained as a pharmacist before moving on to medical school, and his knowledge and expertise in medicines has resulted in his contributions to important projects such as the ground-breaking Premec project (of which he was the chair), which was the first educational resource about medicines for doctors and nurses to be completely independent from the drug industry. He was also chair of the ProCare Pharmaceutical Committee, and a director of ProCare in the early days. Most recently, he has demonstrated his commitment to "getting things right" for patients and general practice by making himself available to be elected a director of ShoreCare afterhours service. He was a staunch and passionate defender of and advocate for general practice. Amongst his many other skills was his aptitude on the barbecue (see previous page).

Over the years his large family grew up and turned into adults, and started to have families of their own - so that now there are seven young grandchildren. We know how important Graham's "real" family was to him, and how important he was to them.

Of course Graham's patients will be wondering what will happen with their care. Obviously we will be planning a longterm solution as soon as we can, but in the meantime we have enough capacity at MMC to continue the care for Graham's patients, and our computerised record-keeping system keeps all your records secure but accessible to the doctor or nurse who is treating you. Please feel free to book in with one of the other doctors - many of Graham's patients will already know one or more of the other doctors.

Dr Graham Robinson was a wonderful colleague and workmate. He cannot be replaced and he will never be forgotten.