Robin was born at Walalkara, a place in the Great Victoria Desert near Kaltjiti, South Australia. His father was Pitjantjatjara from the land west of Watarru; his mother was Yankunytjatjara from Makiri, northwest of Walalkara. Robin grew up living a traditional, nomadic life in the area around Kaltjiti. The first time he saw a whitefella was when he was a young teenager. As a young man, he worked on the cattle stations at Welbourne Hill and Everard Park.