Jim Robinson was born in Taihape and after attending Feilding High School, he joined the Post Office before moving to Wellington City Tramways.
With the start of World War II, Jim joined the Air Force and undertook pilot training, going on to fly spitfire fighters. He became a celebrated fighter pilot in No. 81 RAF Squadron.
After completing his studies at the University of Canterbury, Jim worked on the construction of the new 220kV transmission line from Bunnythorpe to Haywards, followed by the Whakamaru to Ōtāhuhu line, and substations at Ōtāhuhu and Bunnythorpe.
In 1953, he was appointed Assistant Engineer at Auckland Electric Power Board, involved in substations and underground cabling.
In 1973, Jim took on a World Bank role as Chief Electrical Engineer, then General Manager, of the Fiji Electricity Authority. He served on Engineering New Zealand’s Auckland Branch Committee for more than 10 years and was Chair in 1972.
