Ed Cairns
“Chris was an intelligent, engaging and passionate man who made an impression on all he met and he has left us far too soon. Robinson and the years following on from there were probably the happiest of my life and Chris contributed so greatly to that.
To me, and to most who knew him, he will always be ‘Landy’ (said in a Connery-esque Bond accent). I’m not sure I’ve ever called him anything else. It suited him well and he always played up to the Scottish inflection, and the Bond connection. He was such a supporter of staying in the UK and his commitment and passion, for this and other causes he held close to his heart, defined him. The fact that 007 read Oriental Studies at Cambridge was no less important to him! We used to tease him for taking himself too seriously at times (he infamously voted for himself as having the best body in Robinson!), but this confidence drove him to achieve such impressive things in his life.
I can’t think of a defining moment when I met Landy, but our Robinson journey took in so many joint experiences that it’s not hard to see why we became close. Whether it was in the canteen, the bar, the rugby pitch or the library, our schedules were fairly in sync.
It was probably in 2nd year that we became closest whilst ‘living out’ together in Romsey Terrace. This year will live long in the memory of all 25 of us who stayed there for the amazing array of memories. He may not have been the best cook or tidiest flatmate, but that wasn’t important back then! What was more important were the endless hours together playing cricket in the garden, playing on the Nintendo 64, pulling pranks on each other and then heading out for a drink before repeating again.
We shared many drinks together, as well as many serious political discussions and many more moves shared on the dance floor. His crab dance move is legendary and together we upset many bouncers with our rolling back-flip. He enjoyed coming across as mature and insightful (which he was) but could never resist letting down his hair, of which there was a lot!
When I picture Landy at his happiest, he is in his rugby kit. He was a committed captain and teammate. He put all he had into every training session and match and for that reason he was involved with the Blues and was made Robinson captain. His season as captain set the foundations for a previously ‘social’ club to become what is now a high-achieving part of the college. His team talks always channelled the Braveheart spirit and, despite us being on par with the Scottish national team in terms of results, not a single player gave less than 100% for him. His greatest achievement with the team, however, is probably the tour to Edinburgh. His passion for Edinburgh and for rugby were evident as he organised what I can honestly say is one of the best weekends I’ve had. The team photo he vehemently fought to have in the college bar, as well as the tour shirt I still wear today, will always remind me of him.
I am so saddened to have to put these words down. However, looking back through the many hours/weeks/years we spent together will always make me smile. You should be so proud to have had him as a son and brother.”