[1] Robbins was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, son of Capt.

[3] His first public service was as a member of the school committee in Hāwera for a good decade, where he was chairman for most of that time.

[5] He retired from the mayoralty in 1915 and did not contest the election, which was won by Charles Macmillan over John Cuthbert Adams.

[9] Robbins stood against the incumbent, William Herries of the Reform Party, in the 1919 election in the Tauranga electorate and was beaten with a margin of over 30% of the vote.

He died in January 1953 aged 96 and is buried at the Presbyterian Cemetery on 18th Avenue in Tauranga.