He once explained, "My name is Brigadier Dunstan Robinson – Robinson, I got from my father. Dunstan, I believe, I got from my mother. Brigadier, I earned.

For sure, there was one consistent quality that everyone recognized – His sense of discipline and insistence on high standards and fair play.

Never a populist, he feared no one. As a young army officer, he was known as King Nero – The big, bad, boasty, bald headed officer, from Bravo Company.

This Nero never fiddled. He was a performer and an achiever.

Out of the darkness that engulfed our National Stadium in August 1962, his voice rang out like a whip as he signaled the birth of Independence Jamaica. It was not coincidental that he was the one commanding that parade that night – he was the best. No other officer before or since has been able to capture that sense of efficiency, precision, flair or sheer professionalism on a parade ground. He made it seem like pure theatre and he was the star.

In his quest for perfection he despised sloppy work and refused to accept it from anyone – whether it was the Prime Minister or one of his children. In fact he was so meticulous when it came to ceremony and protocol, he wrote out every detail of his memorial service many years before his passing – specific instructions about the treatment of his remains, the persons who should perform specific roles, even the words of the hymns. He left nothing to chance.

I recall one Saturday afternoon, his car, which had been borrowed from the previous night by his son, on Lt. Anthony Robinson, had not returned. He called the Duty Officer and said in a stern voice, "As soon as Lt Robinson returns, have him placed under house arrest".

Not surprisingly, his third son thought it prudent not to pursue the Army as a career preferring to remain the only member of the family answering to the name "Mr. Robinson".

There were many stories about King Nero and his pursuit of excellence. Once at a Carol Service, a young private, having completed the First Lesson, nervously said "So help me God’ instead of the usual "Thanks be to God". Col Robinson (as he then was) watched the soldier as he made his way back to his chair. During the singing of the next Carol, Nero walked across to the soldier and whispered "God help you when I am through with you" nothing else was done to the soldier but I am sure he never forgot that encounter.

There was also the occasion of his regular Boxing Day Party when a Young Officer who had recently returned from Sandhurst came to his party and made the mistake of parking on his lawn. When he finished giving him a piece of his mind, the officer put his car in reverse and reversed all the way back to the Officers’ Mess – A journey of approximately two miles.

His diction was near perfect, even if it was at times spiced with a few colourful expletives for effect. Anyone calling his home and getting his answering machine would get a taste of the strong British accent "Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or what have you…." Ending with a polite "Cheers".

A regular attendant to 7:30 Communion on Sundays, he loved to read the lessons, at the end of which he would walk to the aisle, turn smartly, and click his heels. One Sunday, there was a Guest Pastor who was getting carried away with the length of the sermon.

Lo and Behold, the Brigadier stood up and without apology, said to the Pastor, "I think you have gone on long enough" then sat down. The astonished representative of the cloth followed suit.

However, underneath that armour, he was a charming man with many soft spots. When he was relinquishing command of the First Battalion and his men gave him an emotional farewell, he came home and wept openly.

He was a disciplinarian, but not a dictator. He always tried to guide his children by way of persuasion especially when it came to our career paths. We knew when he approved of our deeds. He would always say, "Well done".

He shared with me his concept of life – "The body", he said, "must die, but the soul lives on". While here on earth, he was larger than life itself and made an indelible mark on our lives and the lives of all who came into contact with him. In Heaven, we believe he already has the Angels marching in time, getting ready to give the command "Eyes right".