Phil went to school in the eastern suburbs, the first of his immediate family to have the opportunity to have a university education, meeting his wife, Sue, during the final two years at Melbourne University. They have two daughters and four grandchildren, moving to Brighton in 1979.

A city-based litigation lawyer for 44 years and a partner for 30, his main areas of practice were asbestos litigation for a major product supplier and professional indemnity for most professions but particularly medical practitioners and private hospitals and insurance law.

Needing an outlet away from work and family to give some balance to life led him to being involved in senior voluntary roles in Brighton Little Athletics, Old Brighton Grammarians, Victorian Amateur Football Association, the Rotary Club of Brighton North and Rotary District 9800 as a member of the Board for a number of years. He was also a successful umpire, officiating in the VAFA (Amateurs) for 10 years and was lucky enough to do a couple of A Grade Grand Finals as well as three interstate games.

Today, Phil still continues in volunteering as the lawyer member of the Research Ethics and Ethics Committee of Bethlehem Hospital.

Since retiring from law at the end of 2017, he and Sue enjoy golf at Victoria GC, as well as interstate and overseas, in addition to spending time with his grandchildren. Until the pandemic, they travelled overseas and interstate regularly, always involving playing golf with good friends and feels fortunate to have had three VGC golf trips overseas in the past three years – from the west coast of the US playing the desert courses and finishing at Pebble Beach, to the southeast of the US playing in North and South Carolina and attending The Masters. The absolute highlight of his trips, he says, was going to Scotland playing 11 games in 13 days and finishing at The Old Course. 

Above it all, he says, is his personal goal of maintaining physical fitness, pilates and gym sessions being an important part of his life; not to mention enjoyment of the occasional good pinot noir, especially from Tasmania