Phil was born in Holbrook in 1945 where his parents owned and managed the Criterion Hotel, now the Wool Pack Inn Museum.

Then sounding more like the song “I’ve Been Everywhere Man”, Phil said that he grew up and went to the primary schools in the NSW villages of Woomargama, where his parents owned their next hotel, then to Mullengandra where they owned a 1000 acre mixed livestock and produce farm.

Phil said that his time on the farm produced some of the most memorable times of his childhood.

The family’s next move was to the Victorian town of Meeniyan where his parents worked for a time at the local hotel then owned a milk bar. Phil attended Leongatha High School where played and enjoyed many sports, matriculating in 1964.

During this high school years he joined the scouts and developed a strong interest in aviation through aero modelling.

With his interest in aeroplanes, Phil joined the RAAF at East Sale in 1965 for navigation training.

Graduating in July, 1965, he was posted to Number 10 Squadron, Townsville, Queensland to fly the Lockheed SP2H Neptune as a squadron navigator.

Phil also enjoyed sailing as a pastime, and one time almost became the attention of the search and rescue crew when he and his sailing mate were becalmed when sailing into Townsville harbour and reported overdue by an enthusiastic friend.

His progression in the Air Force then saw him move to Edinburgh, South Australia (SA), again as a squadron navigator, then instructor.   

Phil said that during these years that he met and married his wife Robyn, a nurse, who was to accompany him on many of his postings.

In March 1972, he was posted on foreign exchange duty to the US Navy as an instructor with one of its operational training squadrons – Patrol Squadron VP31.  

During the USN exchange tour, he also became involved with the Spanish Air Force’s training on the Lockheed P3B Orion, including a trip to Spain to provide conversion training to their navigators.

On return to Australia, he went to RAAF East Sale to undergo the Advanced Navigator course, and then he became an instructor at the (then) School of Air Navigation.

Following time at East Sale, he became the Chief Instructor Air at the Australian Anti-Submarine School (AJASS) at HMAS Albatross. With his transfer to Nowra, Phil and Robyn built their first home in Bomaderry.

On leaving the Shoalhaven at the end of 1980, they had no idea that they would return to the city in later years.

Their second home was to be in Wanniassa (Canberra) when Phil was posted to the RAAF Staff College Course then to Air Force Office in the Materiel (projects) Division.

The tour in Canberra was then followed by another posted to RAAF Edinburgh, SA, this time as the Commanding Officer of Number 292 Squadron, the maritime operational training unit for the Air Force.

One of the memorable events during this time was the task to fly the last of the Lockheed P3C Orion aircraft from the USA that were purchased for the RAAF in 1986.

The return to Canberra occurred in July 1987, when he was posted to the Joint Intelligence Organisation (cum Defence Intelligence Organisation). 

During this period, rewarding experiences included time spent as a representative of Defence on intelligence exchanges with Australia’s allies.  He also completed a Master’s degree at University of NSW in this period.

Later, Phil took up the position of Director Operational Support Services in Air Force Office where one of his number of responsibilities was Air Force’s point of contact with foreign attachés.  

This honour was very rewarding and presented the opportunity to meet peoples of other countries and get to understand some of their customs and culture.

Phil said that he also became very active in triathlons during this period that was to extend for a number of years later. 

Phil’s next posting to RAAF Amberley as the Officer Commanding of the Airbase Wing. He retired from the RAAF in January 1997, and was recognised with an award for this period of service.  He then spent six months, as a reservist, as Head of the Defence Support Unit, Victoria Barracks in Brisbane.

Over his some 32 years Air Force career, Phil learnt and honed his navigation skills on aircraft including the Dakota C-47, Lockheed SP2H Neptune, Lockheed P3B Orion, Hawker Siddeley HS748, and Lockheed P3C Orion.

Following his service career, Phil owned his own small consultancy business before joining the Queensland Department of State Development.

One of the many roles saw him involved with the establishment of  Aviation Australia, a training company set up by the Queensland Government to better meet the aviation industry’s skills requirements.

In 2001, he joined Aviation Australia as its Business Development Manager and recalled his time in that position of organising trades show exhibits, careers expos and promoting aviation career opportunities and related training requirements.

Later he worked on an Aviation Skills Formation Strategy for the Queensland Government looking at skills shortages and mismatches, job redesign, improved training and evaluation methods etc. to meet industry needs.

Phil said that when that contract finished, he found himself temporarily unemployed for the first time in his life adding that this was not a good time for him, but there were a number of lessons learnt and positives that arose.

However, that was short-lived as in 2010, he was appointed by the Civil Aviation Authority as an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Specialist that opened up a whole new area of aviation and personal development for him in this new, burgeoning industry sector.

Phil said that by this time he had become involved in setting up the Rotary Club of Brisbane Airport and with all their three, now grownup children living in Sydney, Canberra and New York, Phil and Robyn decided that it was time for him to give his full time work away and move back to the Shoalhaven and Vincentia where they could be closer to their family and grandchildren who love staying with them near the beach.