[4] In 1944, Robson attempted to enlist in the Royal Australian Navy, although he was a year under the minimum age of seventeen, and his mother refused to provide a statutory declaration claiming he was old enough.
He gained a posting aboard HMAS Quickmatch by asking the captain for one, and served with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Papua New Guinea and Japan in the aftermath of World War II.
[4] Following his service overseas, he returned to Flinders Naval Depot, and was demobilised as an Able Seaman at HMAS Huon.
He worked for many years at the Launceston Savings Bank (LSB), whilst completing an accounting degree as a correspondence course.
[4] Robson married Desiree Tyson in May 1949, and they had three children: Jill, Paul and Jan.[4] On Australia Day 2007, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "service to electoral reform through the voting system, to the Tasmanian Parliament, and to fishing and community organisations".