Life @ EA
tEA it up, Robbie McRobbie MBE, Episode 1
We are excited to share our new 'Time for tEA' series, that focuses on some of the Edinburgh Academy’s sporting alumni. We are proud to have partnered with Accie, Charles Runcie, on this new monthly interview series, and we are grateful for his time on these episodes. Put the kettle on…and we hope you enjoy the sporting stories!
This series of 30-minute interviews are with Accies who have been prominent in the world of sport, either on or off the field of play. Throughout the interviews, we will hear about the skills and life lessons they learned at the Edinburgh Academy to help them succeed in their chosen sports role. Whether as a player, a coach, a writer or an administrator, all will reflect on school life in and out of the classroom and their journey through sport as a career.
Series interviewer, Charles Runcie, was a pupil at the Academy, starting in Miss McKenzie’s Prep 4C at Arboretum Road in 1966, through to Mr Robertson’s VIII Mod class at Henderson Row, a decade later. He enjoyed a 34 year career working in sport at the BBC, joining at Radio Scotland’s Queen Margaret Drive in 1982 before heading south in 1987 to Broadcasting House and BBC Sport. He was latterly Head of Sport for English Regions, a role which as a Scot he always thought quite ironic.
In the first of this series Charles talks to Robbie McRobbie. He is CEO of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, host of the famous Hong Kong Sevens. It is a career spent in the former colony spanning before and after ‘handover’. His work was recently recognised having been awarded n MBE for “services to philanthropy and UK relations", through his ongoing use of sport as a tool for development and social change.
Next Month we look forward to sharing an interview with Georgina Usher, champion fencer turned sports administrator. Make sure to keep a lookout for episode 2 this December.
