Much-loved broker remembered

by Resolve Editor Kate Tilley

The insurance industry lost a precious gem with the death of award-winning Brisbane broker Robert Cooper, 61.

He died on 28 January 2023, after contracting blood cancer in 2022.

Robert was a director of CPR Insurance Services, a company he and his wife Mandy established in October 2010. He had previously spent more than 30 years working in various roles for different insurance entities in Adelaide, Rockhampton, in central Queensland, and Brisbane.

They included Lumley, AMP General and Aon and other brokerages.

He joined AILA in Adelaide in 1993 and remained a member until his death. He was a member of the AILA Qld committee from 2009 to 2015 and active in organising seminars on emerging risks and arranging speakers for Qld events. CPR also sponsored AILA events.

Award winner

CPR was named in Insurance Business magazine’s elite broker list five times and won best insurance brokerage (1-5 staff) in 2018, 2019 and 2020. CPR won the magazine’s award for best community engagement for an insurance brokerage 2021, having been a finalist in 2019.

Robert was active in the community, establishing the Kedron Brook Business Group to engage with other small businesses in the Brisbane suburbs of Windsor, Wilston and Grange, where CPR is based. He was president of the Windsor & Districts Historical Society (WDHS) from 2014 until his death. In 2018, Robert was named one of 100 faces of small business in Qld.

A celebration of Robert’s life at the Prince Consort Hotel in Fortitude Valley – Robert was active in the Valley Chamber of Commerce – was packed with people who shared fond memories of a much-loved and admired man.

MC Jeff Kumnick said Robert was “passionate about everything”. He created the playlist for the musicians who performed at the function and had a collection of nine guitars. He loved red wine, single malt whisky, rugby and his Peugeot convertible.

His wife Mandy was “his rock and she rocks”, an emotional Jeff told the crowd. “Community was in his heart and his soul.”

Strong determination

Brother Steve, from Adelaide, said Robert was determined and stubborn, even before he was born. His mother spent 2-1/2 days in labour because Robert wanted to be born in 1962, and he was. His birthday was 1 January.

The family came to Australia as “£10 Poms” and Robert was never afraid to express his views including his strong social and community values. He got into fights at school defending himself and his two brothers from bullies.

His brother Richard, from Geraldton, WA, spoke of how proud he was of Robert, following his progress remotely via ‘stalkbook’. They shared a love of music.

His cricket buddies told tales of Robert loving cricket, crowds and loud shirts. Only weeks before his death, Robert managed to get to the cricket with them, although the shout was five beers and one water. Demonstrating his ever-present sense of humour, when it was his turn, Robert bought five waters and one beer.

Lance Mergard, from ChaplainWatch, said: “They are amazing people with the biggest hearts.”

The Coopers strongly supported ChaplainWatch, with Mandy a director of the management committee and organiser of its annual fundraising ball.

Follow footprints

In a special message for the Coopers’ children, John and Jaslyn, Lance said: “Your father put footprints in the sand for you to follow and, if you do so, you will find fulfillment and success.”

Other speakers told of the successful personal and professional partnership Robert and Mandy shared and how Robert was “a voice of reason in challenging times” when factions emerged in the P&C committee at the children’s school. Another said Robert should have been nicknamed Vegemite, “because he spread himself so thin” among the many community groups he supported.

Former federal member for Brisbane Trevor Evans said he was sometimes the target for constructive criticism from Robert, “but I knew it came from the heart”.

Robert was a mentor with NIBA and has said “inspiring young mentees to reach their full potential is a major source of satisfaction”. Former mentee Taylor Burstow said being mentored by Robert came with a bonus – Mandy. “He and Mandy were a team; he did nothing alone.”

WDHS members told how Robert “enriched our meetings with his sense of humour and love of a good story”. Inner North Rotary Club’s Steve Murphy told how Robert’s theme during his presidency was “yes, we can do it”.

Dennis Keating, from Brisbane Airport Rotary Club, spoke of Robert’s high ethical standards, commitment to service, integrity, his tenacity when acting for clients, and his reliability as a friend.

Mandy said Robert always liked to pay it forward and it would be amazing if people could donate to the Leukaemia Foundation in his name “to make this journey easier for the next family”.

Vale Robert Cooper.