Robert Bernard (‘Bob’) Maybury AO, a final year student of Parade’s Class of 1944, and a pioneer of the Co-operative Housing and Credit Union movements in Victoria, has died at the age of 92.

Bob, pictured standing centre, completed his Leaving year at the ‘Old Bluestone Pile’ in 1943 – the same year he served as a College Prefect with the likes of the late Bill Dunne, the Vienna Mozart Choirboy John Eder, the popular Bernard (‘Barney’) Luby and the College captain Keith Nicholson. In class notes for the ’43 edition of The Paradian, it’s noted that “interest in Bob Maybury’s collection of chemistry books has sadly depreciated”.

A tribute to Bob has been paid by his good friend Leon Magree – a former Marcellin Collegian who ran with the likes of Noel Purcell, Frank McClements, Michael Moore, Barry Phelan, Peter Box and Bill Reid for the Old Paradians’ Athletics Club from 1952-’58.

It was as a result of “tracking down” Noel in recent years that Leon came to attend a number of the more recent Association Luncheons at the RACV City Club, which Bob also frequented for many years.

“I first knew Bob through the YCW, he being in the Deepdene Branch whereas I was with St Dominic’s at East Camberwell,” Leon said.

“He held Accounting qualifications and began working with the YCW sponsored Co-operative Housing Societies but I am unaware of the year. I started working with him as a clerk in October 1958 - the Monday after the VFL Grand Final - and as a Demon you can imagine the depressed state I was in.

“Whilst I eventually concentrated on the Credit Co-operatives, Bob became Secretary of what became the group of Terminating Co-operative Housing Societies then known as Security Co-operative Housing Societies . . . he was also responsible for the formation of the Security Co-operative Permanent Building Society in around 1958, a group which later merged with IOOF.”

Leon noted that in 1990, Bob was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for “Service to Finance particularly through the Building Society movement”.

“It was a privilege to have worked with Bob in those formative years of the Co-operative movement and to benefit from his wise counsel and friendship over many years,” he said.

Robert Bernard Maybury died peacefully last Saturday morning (May 16) – a dearly loved husband of Margaret; father of Peter, Angela and Brendan, John and Leonie, and Leonie and David (Mansfield, a final year student of the class of 1983); and grandfather of Kathryn, Daniel, Matthew, Tim, Agathe, Gemma, Hannah, Melissa and Rachael.

Bob’s Funeral Mass will be webcast on Friday (May 22) from 10.00am. To access the webcast visit www.tobinbrothers.com.au and search for Robert Bernard Maybury in the Webcast and Funeral Notices search bar.

• images, The Paradian (December 1943), the Maybury family