Prominent lawyer Robert ‘Bob’ Stumbles dies
Saturday, 27 March 2010 19:24
ROBERT “Bob” Stumbles was born on the September 1 1934 in Salisbury to Mary and the Honourable Albert Rubidge Washington Stumbles, former Speaker of Parliament and Minister of Lands and Roads in Southern Rhodesia. He studied at St Georges College before proceeding to Rhodes University where he studied for a Bachelor of Arts. He later studied for a Master of Arts at the University of Oxford. In his youth, Bob represented Southern Rhodesian at athletics.
On the April 30 1960, he married Pamela-Anne Mason. The couple was blessed with two sons and a daughter. In 1960, Bob joined his father’s legal practice, Stumbles and Rowe.
He was appointed partner in 1966 then rose to senior partner in 1988 until his semi-retirement in 1999. From then until his untimely death, he served as a consultant in various capacities such as attorney, notary and
conveyancer, consultant and notary public for the Malawian legal practice Sacraine, Gow and Company.
Bob’s journey in service began in the late 60s when he joined Number 1 Round Table in Salisbury, where he met with a number of future Harare Central Presidents, namely Alan Aschmann and John Meyburgh.
He was President of his club in the early 70s President of the Association of Round Tables in Central Africa.
In 1973-74, Bob served as president of the World Council of Young Men’s Service Clubs.
On the March 23 1977, Robert Stumbles was inducted into the Rotary Club of Salisbury Central, which he led as president in 1979- 80.
From then until his elevation to excused absence and later honorary membership, he served in various positions in Rotary International Districts 925, 9250 and 9210, notably as Chairman of the Legal Advice and Resolutions
Committee. Bob was conferred with a Paul Harris Fellowship Award in 1988.
Bob was a staunch Anglican. Between 1971 and 1990, he served as Registrar and Legal Advisor of the Anglican Diocese of Salisbury (later Harare). In 1989, he was appointed Deputy Provincial Chancellor for the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa, before rising to Chancellor, a position he held until his demise.
He was also Chancellor for the Anglican Diocese of Harare from 1990 until his untimely death. Robert Stumbles held directorship of several companies, both public and private.
Companies he was Chairman include: British Airways Zimbabwe, Gulliver Consolidated, Stone Holdings I Conforzi Tea and Tobacco Estates Limited of Malawi and JR Gobey and Sons (Private) Limited. He also served as Executive Member of St John’s Ambulance Association and the Zimbabwe Games and Lotteries Board.
Bob was member, founder member, trustee and chair of several societies and associations. He was Chairman of the Dorothy Duncan Centre, the Zimbabwe IYDP committee, Beit Trust representative boards for Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia, Round Table Race Relations Endowment Trust, Golden keys Foundation National Pledge Association, National Unity Association, National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped and National Trust of Zimbabwe.
Bob was a member of the Outward Bound Council, the Advisory Board of Salvation Army, Honorary Life member of the Association of Round Tables in Central Africa and the Round Table Joint Venture Club, founder and vice president of the National Paraplegic Association and Associate Member of the Zimbabwe Institute of Patent and Trademark Agents.
Robert Stumbles was conferred with the following awards: Joint Recipient of the Jaycees Outstanding Young Persons award in 1971, Serving Brother of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in 1988, Order of Epiphany in 1999 and American International Research Man of the Year 2006.