Bob Richmond was a prominent Wellington lawyer for more than 40 years until his retirement in 1991. He was President of the Wellington District Law Society in 1974 and served on a number of Law Society committees.
Bob Richmond was born in 1923 and attended Scots College in Wellington where he was described as an all-rounder and was a good cricketer and rugby player. His love of pipe music led to success with the Scots College Pipe Band – he was the school’s champion piper, was drum major, and effectively managed the band.
In 1942 Bob was called up for compulsory military service and did basic training at Trentham camp. He was posted to the artillery and worked in anti-aircraft batteries around various Wellington hills. Later in the war Bob joined the navy becoming a sub lieutenant and was with the invasion force of Malaya.
After the war he studied law at then Victoria College while working part-time at Webb Richmond Swan and Bryan, the firm in which his father Denis Richmond was a partner. Other law clerks in the firm at the time included George Barton QC and George Doole later of Langley Twigg.
Bob and his father left the partnership to establish Richmond and Richmond. The firm was successful and counted Caltex Oil and Woolworths among other significant clients.
Richmond and Richmond merged with Findlay, Hoggard, Cousins & Armstrong in 1968 to become Findlay Hoggard Richmond & Co. In 1982 this firm merged with Buddle Anderson Kent & Co to become Buddle Findlay. Bob was partner in charge of Chevron (previously Caltex), which is still a client of Buddle Findlay today. He also acted for many personal and small business clients and had a large estate administration practice.
Throughout his adult life Bob Richmond was prominent in Masonic circles.
Two of Bob’s grandchildren, the children of his daughter Helen and son-in-law, Chris Rickit, are lawyers and mark the seventh generation of lawyers in the Richmond line going back to Bob’s great-grandfather.
This obituary was first published in Council Brief, April 2009.