First Encounters: Bruce Robinson and Justin Kilcullen

The first meeting with Justin on a VSO training weekend in Leeds was brief. Then we had a full month’s training in Tanzania. It was a very easy, comfortable coming together – Justin and I had similar interests. We both were recently qualified young professionals, and had a common interest in sport, faith and politics. We are both quite interested in photography too. Throughout our lives, various things have happened to re-energise the friendship.

The big thing of course was when Justin came to work in Belfast: that was a huge thing. This was 1978, still very troubled times. The fact that he’d made this clear decision to come to Belfast, you couldn’t help but be impressed by that.

We definitely discussed our backgrounds when we were in Tanzania: all the other volunteers were very politically aware – so you can be sure everybody around us would have started to quiz us.

I’m originally from Markethill, went to school in Armagh. I was first in Dublin at eight or nine, when my dad took me down to rugby internationals – the south was reasonably familiar territory. My father, who was a businessman and a unionist councillor, had lived in the US for 16 years. He felt strongly about equality, and that was a product of his American experience.

My parents were quite elderly and I was keen to come home from Tanzania. All of us came back quite different people. Justin became very much involved in development in the third world and brought his professional skills to bear in that context. I moved into economic development. Janet and I never lost our interest in the developing world: Janet has been very involved with Christian Aid.

The friendship moved up a gear when Justin came to Belfast. Then our son Graham had a year's work experience in Dublin, and Justin and Róisín were so good to him, took him in until he found accommodation.

Róisín is an absolutely lovely person, the four of us get on exceptionally well together; yes, there’s a certain inevitability that the Camino will be tackled.

I have an enormously high opinion of Justin, he’s very bright, a deep thinker, and pretty tough too.

Trócaire’s standing is really high, deservedly so. It’s one of those organisations that everybody on this island should be proud of. And that owes so much to Justin and the work he’s done.