Reg Phillips
Image: Madge Phillips
FatherThomas James Phillips b. 2 May 1897, d. 8 Dec 1980
MotherIrene Gladys 'Sis' McDonald b. 4 Apr 1903, d. 17 Jul 1987
Pedigree

Birth, Death, Marriage

Reginald Phillips was born on 3 August 1924 in Ascot Vale, Victoria.1 
He married Rosalind Madge Helmer, daughter of Nils Helmer, on 29 March 1948 in Mooroopna, Victoria.2,3 
He died on 9 August 1995 in Heidelberg, Victoria, at age 71.4 

Family

Rosalind Madge Helmer b. 17 Dec 1924, d. 13 Oct 2016
Children
ChartsCampbell, John, descendant chart
McDonald, Archibald, descendant chart
O'Loughlin, Michael, descendant chart
Phillips, James, descendant chart
Steer, Edward, descendant chart

Story

Reginald was born in Ascot Vale, Melbourne on 3 August 1924. He was the second child of Irene and Thomas. He was known as Reg, but born as Reginold though with his name usually shown as Reginald.1,5
 
Early Life 
In July 1924, 62 Nixon St was offered for sale and Tom bought it. It was described as a weatherboard cottage with 'five rooms, bath and vestibule, electric light, etc.' on a 66 ft by 148 ft 6 in block of land.

[While Shepparton rates show Tom as the owner of 62 Nixon St from 1924, his name does not appear on the title until May 1929.]

Second son Reg was born in Ascot Vale in Melbourne in August 1924. It is not known why Reg was born in Melbourne.

Third son, Laurence Lloyd arrived in 1925. At this time, according to the birth registration and electoral roll, the family was living temporarily at 7 Swallow St. As the rate books still show Tom as owner of the Nixon St house, perhaps it was being renovated for the new arrival, or expanded to accommodate the growing family at the time.6,7,8,9,10
 
Milk Arrowroot biscuits: Auntie Nene reckons Jack, Reg & Laurie were brought up on milk arrowroot biscuits and milk. [Arrowroot was a common and popular starch source at the time].11,12
Reg, Laurie & Jack Phillips
Image: Nene Courtie
With Jack, Reg and Laurie born in 1923, 1924 and 1925, stories of any of the boys' childhood escapades invariably featured all three. They grew up during the Great Depression, which was at its peak in Australia in the early 1930s. Particularly during this time, with money used for essentials only, the boys relied on their own resourcefulness and made their own fun.13
Jack, Laurie & Reg Phillips
Image: Nene Courtie
The Parachute: Laurie reckoned that being the youngest of the three, he was usually the guinea pig when an operator or pilot was needed. Like the time they decided to make a parachute out of hession bags and rope. Jack and Reg did most of the design and construction. Laurie got to test it out. With the chute strapped to his back, Laurie was encouraged to climb to the highest point they could find. And jump. Unfortunately, the chute got tangled in a tree branch and when Laurie eventually hit the ground, he landed flat on his back. As he lay there winded and in pain, Jack and Reg stood over him laughing their heads off. When Laurie could eventually breathe, he joined in the laughing.

Decades later, when asked how they would top that, Laurie said that Jack and Reg had advanced plans involving a bottomless 44 gallon drum and inner tube 'propellant' to shoot him out of a cannon.14
 
Jack, Reg and Laurie were not just close in age, they were best mates. While the boys would fight amongst themselves, an outsider who threatened one of them would have to take on all of them.15
 
Jack and Reg were members of Aunt Mollie's Poppet Club. They signed up in April 1935. John Phillips was member no. 214 and Reg was no. 226.
Apart from having a lovely membership card Poppet the Possum is going to send you a special card on your birthdays.

On the first birthday you're in the club, Poppet the Possum also included six movie tickets.16,17,18
 
Bookie coins: When Papa [Tom] came home from a meeting he would take out all the big money and bigger coins and put the bag in a cupboard. Enter Jack, Reg, Laurie and we get the bag and shake the hell out of it hoping for loose change. Many times a trzzie, threepence, a zac, sixpence, and if real lucky a deana, a shilling, might fall out. Divided three ways wasn't a lot but it bought us a few lollies. Those were the days. [Laurie Phillips]19
Tom Phillips bookmaker, c. 1935
Image: Rene Barnes
Primary School
The three oldest boys went to St Brendan's primary school in Shepparton. Enrolment records show that 'John' started in 1928, 'Reggie' in 1929, and 'Lawrence' in 1930.20,21
Laurie, Reg, Jack & Rene Phillips, Nixon St, Shepparton, c. 1931
Image: Bub Williams
CONVENT SCHOOL
300 Children Participate in Pageant
Grace and skill displayed
The Star Theatre was crowded on Friday when the pupils of the Convent schools staged a spectacular pageant.

Three hundred children took part, and a noticeable feature was the variety of costumes chosen ... Jack Phillips, brownie; Reg Phillips, brownie; Laurie Phillips, elf ...22

 
Nixon St Home Revisited 
In March 1928, Tom put the family's Nixon St house up for sale. It was advertised as having six rooms (one more than when purchased in 1924), bathroom, washhouse and electric light. Terms were half cash, £100 in six months, balance in 30 months and 6½ per cent interest. It wasn't sold.

Between 1924 and 1931, the address (in the Shepparton rates or electoral roll) is 62 Nixon St. From 1933 to 1937, it is 16 Nixon St. They didn't move, this was due to streets being renumbered.

The youngest three children, Rene, Don and Brian, were born while the family was in the Nixon St home. All six children spent some of their time growing up in Nixon St, though for the youngest Brian, it was only for a couple of years.23,24,8,25,26,27
Laurie Phillips
Image: Rene Barnes
Irene Phillips, flower girl in Queen competition, Nixon St, Shepparton, May 1936
Image: Rene Barnes
Brian Phillips inside the aviary, Nixon St, Shepparton, c. 1938
Image: Rene Barnes
Brian Phillips, Nixon St, Shepparton, c. 1938
Image: Rene Barnes
Reg, Jack, Laurie, Don & Rene Phillips, c. 1934
Image: Rene Barnes
Back: Reg & Laurie; front: Rene, Brian & Don Phillips, c. 1937
Image: Rene Barnes
Visiting Grandma Phillips 
Grandchildren loved visiting their Grandma Phillips in Bacchus Marsh, either at the House on the Hill, Lerderderg St or Millbank St. They would also get to play with their Bacchus Marsh cousins, Roylyn and Joy Phillips. At different times, their Auntie Mary and Auntie Eilie were also living with Ellen.

They would visit for two to three weeks during school holidays. The older grandchildren stayed at the House on the Hill.
The house had a cow. Grandma would squirt them [Jack, Reg and Laurie] in the face. Also chooks. The water tank had 'wrigglers' [mosquito larvae]. Grandma said 'They won't hurt you'. [Laurie Phillips]

At the House on the Hill, the nearby railway embankment was a popular play area.
After they [Dot, Beryl and Marge] had - again - been sliding down the railway embankment, Grandma told them that this time she was not going to patch the seats of their pants again. Marge remembers hearing from Auntie Eilie something like 'Why do we have to look after those b__y kids again?' [Marge Deveney (O'Loughlin)]

At Bacchus Marsh, they [Jack, Reg and Laurie] visited Gran up on the hill. They had good times. At the railway embankment they'd shout 'Paper! Paper!' as the train went by and people would throw out newspapers. They'd flatten pennies or halfpennies on the railway line or roll rocks down the embankment. They'd also try to trap rabbits by blocking some of the exits with rocks. [Jack Phillips]

When Grandma and Auntie Mary lived up on the hill near the railway line, Jack, Reg and myself used to wait by the line as the train went by calling out 'Paper! Paper!' and the people would throw out papers, minties, different goodies they didn't want, we used to reckon it was as good as Xmas. Many trains went by on that line so we had a ball. Those were the days. [Laurie Phillips]

When Jack, Reg and Laurie stayed with their grandma during school holidays, they would bring their blue school shirts to wear. These got grubby and needed changing every day, and Eilie remembers 'an endless stream of those damn blue shirts to clean and iron'. [Eileen Redden]

The children would get to ride on the horse and jinker to get to church.

The younger grandchildren visited their Grandma at Lerderderg St or Millbank St and would make their own fun.

At the Millbank St house, when Don and I used to visit, there was an ant track along the back of the house. We'd put sticks in the way so the ants had to go over hurdles. [Rene Barnes]

When Brian spoke of visiting Grandma, he said it was at the Lerderderg St house, and Auntie Mary and the cockie quickly came to mind.28,29,30,31,32,33,34
 
Charlie's broken windscreen: Auntie Eilie recalls once when Auntie Bub was going out with a chap by the name of Charlie Britnall. Charlie was from Sydney and his step father was Sydney bookmaker and politician, Sir John Montgomery Dunningham. Charlie was a good dancer (the Charleston gets a mention) and drove a sports car. One weekend, Bub and Charlie drove to see her and her mum (Ellen, Grandma Phillips) at the house on the hill in Bacchus Marsh. Unfortunately for them, Jack, Reg and Laurie were there for a holiday (they were maybe 7 to 9 years old). From the safety of the house, the boys threw stones at Charlie's sports car, breaking the windscreen.35,33
 
Bill Vallence's army regalia: After her husband Bill Vallence died following war service, Mary lived with Ellen in Bacchus Marsh. Bill was a Corporal in the army and received the Military Medal. On one occasion, nephews Jack, Reg & Laurie got into a trunk of Mary's mementos of Bill - full army regalia including jacket, medals, plume hat, and so on. Mary was quite upset.36
 
Eilie's harp (as told by Laurie Phillips): A few months after Tom and Eilie married, Reg and I were holidaying at Balliang for our Christmas holidays. Auntie Eilie was learning to play a small harp type instrument that was a wedding present. She wasn't making much headway with it. Uncle Tom got the giggles, and Reg and I joined in. Auntie Eilie did the melon and sent Reg and I off to bed, and I guess maybe uncle Tom's honeymoon was over.37
 
How fast will it go, Tom?: Tom Redden had a big car. With Tom and Eilie in the front, and the visiting Reg and Laurie in the back on their way to church, the boys would ask 'How fast will it go, Tom?' Tom would duly oblige by planting the foot, much to the delight of the two in the back. When they got back to school after the holidays and were asked 'what did you do for Christmas?', they would recount the story of how they went screaming along in their uncle's car at 60 miles an hour.28
 
Boarding School
Jack and Reg went to board at Assumption College in Kilmore in 1936. Laurie joined them in 1939, when Br Hilary was principal, and all three were there until 1940. They all did Intermediate (Year 10) at Assumption College.21,35,38,39,40
Reg Phillips, Assumption College, Kilmore, c. 1939
Image: Rene Barnes
Laurie Phillips (right), Assumption College, Kilmore, 1939
Image: Rene Barnes
Assumption College, Kilmore, c. 1939
Image: Rene Barnes
Brother Hilary, Assumption College, Kilmore, 1939-1940
Image: Rene Barnes
Assumption College, Kilmore, c. 1939
Assumption College, Kilmore, c. 1939
Reg played drums in a combined schools' Centenary parade in Kilmore at the end of the 1938 school year.
One could not but feel proud of Young Australia, as each boy and girl stepped out in rhythmic movement to the beat of drums played by Messrs Harry Hollingshead Shiel (Wandong) and two Assumption College boys, T Dugan and Reg Phillips.41

 
Jack, Reg and Laurie returned to their old boarding school in 1952 for the Kilmore Old Collegians annual ball. They were among three hundred guests.42
 
Reg was a Carlton Football Club supporter.
 
During that time [at Assumption College, Kilmore], on a school trip, Jack and Reg were lucky enough to attend the 1938 VFL/AFL grand final at the MCG. With a crowd of over 100,000, all of the school kids were ushered in and sat in front of the fence along the boundary line. The match was between Collingwood and Carlton. And this is how Jack's lifetime love for the Collingwood Football Club began. Jack went for Collingwood and Reg went for Carlton. It was as simple as that. Collingwood lost that day. Ah well Jack, you better get used to it, there’s going to be a lot more where that came from! I can hear him now - 'Go Pies!' 'Bloody Umpires!' [Jack's eulogy]43

 
Pine Lodge Hotel 
Pine Lodge Hotel, Shepparton East, c. 1929
Image: Lost Shepparton, Facebook
The family had their first taste of what life could be like while living in a pub, when they moved into the Pine Lodge Hotel in Shepparton East in 1938.

The three older boys were boarding at Assumption College in Kilmore, returning three times a year during school holidays. At home they lived in an old cable car under the peppercorn tree. In summer the mosquitoes were so bad they burned cow pats to keep them away.44,39,45
Brian O'Neill (friend) & Brian Phillips, cable car bedroom, Pine Lodge Hotel, Shepparton East, c. 1939
Image: Rene Barnes
When Mum was driving in in the Fargo ute with Jack, Reg and me in the back, one of us would yell out 'Duck!' as we went under the peppercorn tree. Then we all laughed when she did. After a while she did it anyway. Someone would say 'She's done it again!' [Laurie Phillips]

While at the hotel, Rene and Don went to the nearby Shepparton East school. Brian had not yet started school.

There were cigarette machines at the Shepp East hotel. You put sixpence in for a chance at getting a pack of ten cigarettes. At one stage the lads and I tipped one of the machines upside down to get at the cigarettes. [Jack Phillips]

While Tom was busy running the business, it was also a busy time for Sis. As well as looking after the children and the usual domestic duties, she worked the bar and kitchen. And she made time to be involved with community activities.

During the war, Tom bought a 1938 Studebaker 'President' from Hank the Yank. This became the family car and was used on holidays.39,44,30,46
Sis Phillips in the 1938 Studebaker 'President', possibly Brian & Don at the rear window, possibly Jack & Reg on the running board
Image: Laurie & Lorraine Phillips
Tom Phillips and his 1938 Studebaker 'President' convertible, c. 1940
Image: Roylyn Phillips
Mum's Major Lung Operation 
Around 1940, Sis had a major operation in which one lung was removed. It came about suddenly following a haemorrhage. Sis was taken from Shepparton to a hospital in East Melbourne, possibly St Vincents or St Ives, where the operation took place.

This may have been around November1940 when Sis spent three weeks in Una hospital.

The three eldest boys, Jack, Reg and Laurie were at Assumption College in Kilmore at the time. One day at morning rosary the Brothers announced to everyone that the boys' mother was about to have a serious operation and that they should all say a few prayers for them.

The family rallied around to help. Sis's mum came up from Melbourne to help look after Rene, Don & Brian. Tom's sister Eileen came up from near Bacchus Marsh. Sis spent time recovering at the home of her sister-in-law Tess in Essendon. And her sister Bub helped out with the kids and housework when Sis returned home.47,48,14,49,50,51
 
Orr Street Home
Tom bought the weatherboard residence at 77 Orr St from Mr Ben Seth in July 1941, though the family likely lived there earlier.

Between moving out of the Pine Lodge Hotel in early 1940 and into the Orr St home, the family lived in a house in Nixon St, near Harold St.

Yes it [77 Orr St] was a good stopover house at that time. You boys were all away in services then. Mum wasn't at all well when we were there, we had help in the house and Dad was at the Court House hotel mostly. Heaps of memories, some good some not so good. [Rene Barnes]52,53,54,39,55

Tom & Sis Phillips, 77 Orr St, Shepparton, c. 1942
Image: Laurie & Lorraine Phillips
Back: Sis Phillips, Val Irwin; front: Brian, Don & Rene Phillips, 77 Orr St, Shepparton, c. 1942
Image: Laurie & Lorraine Phillips
Rene Phillips (with dog), unknown, Sis (Irene) Phillips, 77 Orr St, Shepparton, c. 1942
Image: Suzanne Cheshire
Sis Phillips (Irene McDonald), 77 Orr St, Shepparton, c. 1942
Image: Laurie & Lorraine Phillips
When they bought the Hotel Australia, they kept the Orr St house which the whole family called home until at least mid-1945. And years later, two sons lived there after they married.56,57
 
364 Albert Street, East Melbourne
Around 1942, Jack, Reg and Laurie worked in Melbourne and lived in a boarding house at 364 Albert Street, East Melbourne. The boarding house was run by four miss O'Briens. A couple of other mates were there, including Wally O'Dea and Ted Malloy. Jack worked for the Department of Defence in Maribyrnong, Reg worked for a shipping company in King Street, and Laurie worked on the railways.58,59,60
 
Military Service
Reg reported for service in the Second World War with the Royal Australian Navy at the HMAS Cerberus training facility near Crib Point on Westernport Bay on 29 July 1942. This was five days before his 18th birthday.

Ranked Ordinary Seaman 2, two months later Reg had qualified in gunnery and was assigned to the cruiser HMAS Adelaide. Following a month on the Adelaide, his seamanship was rated 'very good'. During November 1942, Reg was at the HMAS Lonsdale training facility in Port Melbourne. In December he was aboard the auxillary minesweeper HMAS Marrawah before returning to HMAS Adelaide. In July 1943, Reg was promoted to Able Seaman.

His association with the cruiser HMAS Shropshire began in May 1944. Within months he was a 20 year old gun loader in the last major naval battle to take place in the Pacific.4,1
Reginald Phillips, RAN, service no. PM4748, c. 1943
Image: Rene Barnes
HMAS Adelaide wearing her disruptive pattern camouflage during WWII
Image: Royal Australian Navy
HMAS Shropshire
Image: Royal Australian Navy
On 20 October 1944 Australian ships were part of the massive Allied invasion fleet that landed American troops at Leyte Gulf, in the Philippines, enabling General Douglas MacArthur to honour his promise made two years earlier to return to liberate the Philippines. On 21 October Japanese aircraft attacked the Allied fleet, targeting Shropshire and Australia, the latter becoming the first Allied warship to be hit by a kamikaze aircraft.

Australia was forced to withdraw, but on 25 October, Shropshire and Arunta took part in what became the last traditional line sea battle in history, the Battle of Suriago Strait. This action, part of the wider Battle of Leyte Gulf, routed a smaller Japanese battle squadron. The Battle of Leyte Gulf virtually finished the Imperial Japanese Navy as a fighting force.

In January 1945, the repaired Australia, together with Shropshire, Arunta and Warramunga, carried out bombardments while under heavy attack from enemy aircraft including kamikazes. Once again Australia became the victim of sustained air attacks with five aircraft hitting the ship. Just after midday on Saturday 6 January, Shropshire was attacked and near-missed by a kamikaze. After another attack on Australia, it was sent for repair in Sydney. Shropshire and the other RAN ships, including newly repaired Hobart, continued in the area until March 1945.61
 
In March 1945, Shropshire returned to Sydney for maintenance and a period of R&R for her crew. In June 1945 Shropshire was back in the operational area and after supporting landings on the island of Borneo returned to the Philippines and was there on 15 August 1945 when Emperor Hirohito announced the Japanese surrender.

Reg was aboard the Shropshire when she sailed for Tokyo Bay and was present for the formal Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945.1,62
 
In 1995, fifty years after the event, Reg and his fellow sailors were awarded the Philippine Liberation Medal by the Philippine government for the part they played in liberating the islands.

The Philippine Liberation Medal is a military award of the Republic of the Philippines. This Medal was awarded to any service member, of both Philippine and allied militaries, who participated in the liberation of the Philippine Islands between the dates of October 17, 1944 and September 2, 1945.63,64,65

Reg Phillips received the Philippines Liberation Medal, 1995
Image: Shepparton News
Philippine Liberation Medal
His job as a gunner was hard and took its toll on Reg's health.

Reg had the worst of the war, registering as a seaman, and getting the difficult job of gunner. In this job they were continually below deck moving and loading ammunition, and had no knowledge of what was happening, as they could see little from their partitioned boxes below deck. [Laurie Phillips]

Working in intense heat below deck, with no clear picture of the battle occuring, Mr Phillips' skill was pitted against the formitable Japanese naval force which had sailed into the Surigao Sea.

Mr Phillips fed shells into the eight inch guns as fast as he and his team could manage.

They managed so well - they were so fast the ship claimed a record in firing eight broadsides in two minutes at an attacking Japanese fleet.

It was fiercly hot work for Mr Phillips who was moving shells by hydraulic equipment because they were too heavy to lift.

Holed up deep inside the bowels of the ship, he knew from the Captain's instructions and the resonant booming they were engaging the enemy but had no clear idea of where they were.

'We had no idea what was going on. If we got hit you are a few decks down below. If we got a direct hit you're here to stay. You wouldn't want to be claustrophobic'.66,67

 
Five days after the signing of the Japanese surrender, Reg had an interim assessment of chemical dermatitis and was approved to be transferred to Lonsdale [Melbourne] or Cerberus [Crib Point] for investigation. As the Shropshire was staying in the area, he transferred to the Hobart and returned via Sydney. He spent late September and early October at Canonbury naval hospital at Darling Point in Sydney before transfer to Cerberus 8 October 1945. At hospital in Cerberus, his condition was classified as dyshidrotic eczema of both hands and Reg was directed to apply for a pension.

Reginald Phillips was discharged from the Royal Australian Navy on 6 March 1946.1,68,62
 
Jack and Reg enlisted and were discharged within a month of each other.
Reg Phillips, RAN & Jack Phillips, RAAF, c. 1943
Image: Madge Phillips
Tomatoes
When Reg returned from the second world war, he went into a tomato growing venture at Stanhope with his friend, Murray Slee. This lasted for about two seasons.4,69
 
Employment Agency
Around 1948, Reg worked for a government employment agency assisting ex-servicemen in finding work.69
 
Football
Jack, Reg and Laurie all played football in Shepparton. Jack played for Shepparton East, Reg played for Shepparton, and Laurie played one year with Shepparton then a year with SPC. They may have also played in combined Goulburn Valley teams.

Inclusion of Laurie Phillips in the Canners team completes the line-up of Tom Phillips' sons in each of the local teams of the CGVL. They are Reg (Shepparton), Jack (Shepparton East) and Laurie (SPC). Another son, Don, plays with Shepparton seconds. [Jun 1949]70,71,72

 
In 1947, Laurie joined Reg at the 'Maroons', the Shepparton Football Club.
 
Reg had a life long connection with the Shepparton Football Club. He started playing after returning from the war and ultimately played 117 senior games.

He played his first game in 1946:
Shepparton who's who
...
MURRAY SLEE (ruck) aged 24, and weighing 14.3, played his football for Caulfield in the Melbourne Federal League. This is his first year with Shepparton.
REG PHILLIPS played Navy football during the war years and also in his first year with the Shepparton side.73,74,75

Reg Phillips, possibly a combined Goulburn Valley team jersey, c. 1950
Image: Laurie & Lorraine Phillips
Shepparton Football Club, premiers 1951, Reg Phillips (back row, second from right), Murray Slee (back row, second from left), Bill Haddock (middle row, left)
Image: Madge Phillips
Back: Jack Gilbert, Barry ?, Eric Roscoe, ? De Figarato, ?, Ken Johnson, Meo Darveniza, Reg Phillips, Murray Slee, Wicky Harris, Max Gunnel; front: Allan Goodlett, Jack O'Brien, Puddy Ledwidge, Laurie Phillips, Ron Guy, Oakie McAuliffe, Rudd Williams, Vin O'Brien, Noel Hartin, possibly a combined Goulburn Valley team, c. 1950
Image: Laurie & Lorraine Phillips
Sheep raffle: At a footy carnival in Berrigan, the Shepparton team won. While celebrating in the local pub, Reg and Murray spotted a sheep there. They had a great idea - put Reg's footy jersey on the sheep and raffle it! They made a bit of money and spent the lot on more beer. Some time later they heard the sheep was a pet, and it belonged to the lady who ran the pub. So next morning they headed back to Berrigan, apologised profusely to the publican and paid her for the sheep. She was fine with it, and happy to get her money back twice. [Murray Slee]69
 
Speedy Shepparton
...
Murray Slee, Maroon’s burly ruckman, weighing 13 st, 7 lb is known as Shepparton’s Rock of Gibralter.
...
Reg Phillips, half forward, can be a most effective player on his day and is one of the few players who can take high finger tip marks.
...
Bill Haddock, 26 and 6ft tall, is the spearhead of our attack and we all look forward to Bill’s day on Saturday. A high mark and a steady kick, Bill is a problem to all full backs.
...
Laurie Phillips, 21 years of age, is in his first year with the Maroons and has played consistently on the half back flank.76
 
In September 1948, Shepparton and Shepparton East played in the second semi-final.

The men on the field
Shepparton
...
REG PHILLIPS, 24, is now a veteran, is playing with success on half back line where he seems to like the straight ahead play.
...
MURRAY SLEE, better known perhaps at the Rock of Gibralter, has been holding down the half back possy with plenty of success. A good mark and a beautiful pass has put him amongst the top-liners of the season.
...
Shepparton East
...
Opening as full forward is JACK PHILLIPS, who is a good mark and is expected to get goals tomorrow.77

 
Reg was later involved with the running of the club, and served as president in 1976 and 1977. In recognition of his efforts, he was made a life member.73,4
Reg Phillips, Shepparton Footbal Club President, presenting the keys to a car won in a raffle, 1976 or 1977
Image: Madge Phillips
Jimmy Guthrie, Reg Phillips, Jack Edwards, unknown; possibly Reg appointed president of Shepparton Football Club, 1976
Image: Madge Phillips
Hotel Australia 
Hotel Australia, Shepparton c. 1950
The Hotel Australia became home to the Phillips family in mid-1945 after a move from Orr St, though Tom had signed the lease in November 1944.

Sis was keen to move in but Tom insisted that her sister Bub would need to help out first.

At the time, Jack, Reg and Laurie were about 21, 20 and 19. Jack and Reg were serving in the Second World War and Laurie was about to do the same. Rene was about 15, Don 13 and Brian 8, and so were still at school.

Jack, Reg and Laurie moved into the hotel as they returned from the war, so Jack around February 1946, Reg March 1946 and Laurie January 1947.54,32,56,78,1,60
 
May Jones was officially the laundress, but she was also an excellent cook. She used to give regular cook Mrs Chatterton the day off on a Wednesday. Everyone, Phillips family and long-term residents, looked forward to Wednesday night, when her fricassee of lamb, braised steak and onions and all sorts of other delicacies were so good they had trouble deciding which to have.

The 'Cupboard' was a small room under the stairwell where after hours drinking would occur, often well into the night. Unfortunately for Sis, the stairwell was near their bedroom causing many a disrupted sleep.32
 
When the drinkers got a bit rowdy while drinking late at night in the 'Cupboard', Sis would drop a little soap into one of their pots. She said 'you get to be a pretty good shot after a while'. [Rene Barnes]

One night a few of the boys were there [the 'Cupboard'] drinking and making a bit too much noise. At about 1am Mrs Phillips opened the hatch and dropped a briquette through. Unfortunately for Brian Tresize, it landed on his head and knocked him out cold. [Tom Carey]79,32,80
 
THEFTS FROM HOTEL
Found guilty in Shepparton General Sessions yesterday on four charges of larceny of a wireless set and several suit cases of clothing from the Australia Hotel on January 9, Lawrence Noel Chambers (37), motor mechanic, of Belmore road, Burwood, NSW, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment on each of the first three counts and 14 days on the fourth count.
...
Chambers was charged with having stolen a case containing coats and trousers the property of Mr TJ Phillips; with having stolen a wireless set the property of Mr W. Keighley; with having stolen a case and some shirts and singles the property of Mr L McKeand; with having stolen a bar of chocolate, a sum of money and some peanuts from Miss I Phillips.
...
Mr Cussen, outlining the evidence of the prosecution, said that the accused entered four bedrooms in the Hotel Australia occupied by the proprietor, Mr T Phillips, his daughter, Miss Phillips, Mr W Keighley and Mr L McKeand and stole articles from each room.
... [Feb 1947]81
 
The family's living arrangements changed as the children married. Reg was first to wed, marrying Madge in March 1948, and they lived in the Orr St home. Jack was best man, Laurie was groomsman and Rene was bridesmaid. In 1952 they returned to the hotel with baby Michael and stayed until soon after Susan was born in 1953, when they moved into their newly constructed home in Maude St.

Rene was second to marry, and in 1951 moved to Warrnambool with new husband Keith Barnes.

Laurie closely followed Rene, when later in 1951 he married Lorraine and they moved into a home in Maude St.

Jack married Cass in 1952 and they moved into the Orr St home, prompting Reg and Madge to return to the hotel.32,3
 
Reg & Madge Meet - Opposites Attract?
Reg and Madge met at a New Years Day sports carnival in Shepparton. The mainly athletics and cycling annual fundraising event was held at Deakin Reserve and attracted a large crowd. Tom Phillips, through the Hotel Australia, ran the liquor booth and Reg and his brothers served the beer.

So began the unlikely relationship between talkative Reg, Shepparton and Carlton football supporter, Catholic and working at his father's pub, and shy Madge, Mooroopna and Geelong football supporter, Methodist and non-drinker.5,82
 
Rene recalls: When at the swimming hole in Shepp, near the bridge to Mooroopna, Reg once said to me 'See that girl over there with the nice swimsuit on - she looks nice, doesn't she?'. I said 'Yes'. Reg said 'She's from Mooroopna. I'm going to marry her'. And he did.32

 
The couple announced their engagement in Easter 1947 and planned to marry during Easter 1948. In preparation, Madge converted to Catholicism.
Reg and I were engaged at Easter in 1947, we married at Easter in 1948 and our first child, Michael was born at Easter in 1949. Easter has always been a good time for me. [Madge Phillips]5,83

 
A month after their engagement, Reg and Madge holidayed with friends Murray and Myra Slee at Mt Buffalo.84
Madge Helmer & Reg Phillips, Myra & Murray Slee, Mt Buffalo, May 1947
Image: Suzanne Cheshire
Madge Helmer & Reg Phillips, Mt Buffalo, May 1947
Image: Suzanne Cheshire
Reg Phillips & Madge Helmer, Mt Buffalo, May 1947
Image: Suzanne Cheshire
Myra & Murray Slee, Reg Phillips & Madge Helmer in the snow at Mt Buffalo, May 1947
Image: Suzanne Cheshire
Marriage and Family
Rosalind Madge Helmer and Reginald Phillips were married at St Mary's church in Mooroopna on Easter Monday, 29 March 1948. They had nine children.3,2
Reg & Madge Phillips (Helmer), Mar 1948
Image: Rene Barnes
Rosalind Madge Phillips (Helmer)
Image: Don & Marion Phillips
Rosalind Madge Phillips (Helmer), unknown, Irene Phillips, unknown, Mar 1948
Reg & Madge (Helmer) Phillips, Mar 1948
Image: Madge Phillips
Image: Shepparton Advertiser
Madge had three attendants, her sister Merlyn Helmer, Reg's sister Rene, and friend Shirley Peate.
Reg had Jack as best man with Laurie and Murray Slee as groomsmen.3
 
When they were first married, Reg and Madge lived in the Hotel Australia in Shepparton where Reg was working. Between the births of second child Susan and third Robyn, the family moved into 40 Maude St which would remain the family home for over 50 years.

The children attended St Brendan's primary school. For secondary school, the girls attended Sacred Heart College and the boys attended St Colman's College on the other side of Knight St. The eldest, Michael, attended Assumption College in Kilmore for a time.5
Sue, Reg, Robyn & Michael Phillips
Image: Reg Phillips
Reg Phillips and the kids, Dec 1962
Image: Madge Phillips
Religion
Since Madge's conversion to Catholicism prior to her marriage to Reg, their Catholic faith has been very important to them.

And so, after being a late recruit to the Catholic faith, I think Mum may have been one of the Churches best players. Apart from providing the obligatory large family, we know that Mum had a great and unwavering faith in God and knew that she had an eternal life waiting for her on the other side. [Chris Phillips]85,5

Lorraine and Laurie's Wedding
Val was bridesmaid at her sister Lorraine's wedding and Reg was best man for his brother Laurie.
Val Williams (bridesmaid) & Reg Phillips (best man), Laurie & Lorraine Phillips wedding, St Mary's, Mooroopna, Sep 1951
Image: Val Williams
Reg, Laurie & Lorraine (Williams) Phillips, Val Williams, Sep 1951
Image: Laurie & Lorraine Phillips
The wedding party celebrated the occasion 40 years later.
Reg, Laurie & Lorraine (Williams) Phillips, Val Williams, wedding party 40 years on, Sep 1991
Sport and Recreation
Reg and Madge were both keen golfers.4,5
Reg Phillips
Image: Madge Phillips
Reg was a keen punter. We had a trotter and would go to the Inter Dominion race each year in Lloyd Wright's plane with other friends including Father Connell who would sprinkle holy water over the horse - but it still didn't win. [Madge Phillips]86
 
The Hotel Australia as a workplace supported all five sons at various times. Jack, Reg and Laurie began working there as they returned from serving in the Second World War. Don and Brian worked elsewhere for a couple of years after finishing school before working at the pub.

With five sons, Tom could share the physical workload. He had developed heart problems when serving in the First World War and so had limited physical ability. And Sis was limited having had a lung removed a few years earlier.56,34
 
Jack worked at the hotel from early 1946 until it was sold in September 1979. He ran the saloon bar off Maude St, later named 'Jack's Bar'. He also did the banking.

Reg worked there from early 1946 until early 1955. He left because the beer aggravated the dermatitis he developed during the war.

Laurie worked there from early 1947 until about 1963. He also collected the beer from the railway station. And there are reports that when a troublesome character was about, and a bit of 'biffo' might be required, Laurie got the job.

Don worked there from around 1950 until it was sold. He gradually became more involved with the running of the hotel. Wife Marion ran the residential and function parts of the business.

Brian worked there from about 1954 until it was sold. He also collected the beer from the railway station after Laurie left. During school holidays, both Laurie and Brian would take nephews and nieces with them to the station, usually perched on a wooden booster seat. Brian's wife Maureen ran the functions and weddings for six months in 1971 while Marion, Don and the family were on holiday.

In summer Tom's wartime beer quota meant he ran out by the end of the month. At at the start of the month the small main bar on the Maude and Fryers St corners meant he didn't have enough room for the drinkers. In November 1945, after just twelve months there, he applied:
... to instal a saloon bar on premises now occupied by the Shepparton Agricultural Society office ...

Mr LC Abemethy, who appeared for the applicant stated that the present bar accommodation was insufficient and caused complaints from customers that they could not get a drink in comfort. Greatest width in the main bar was only about six feet and the dimensions of the present small parlor bar were only 10 feet by 10 feet. The proposed additional bar space was 12 feet by 28 feet. [Shepparton Advertiser]

The application was successful, taking effect from January 1st, and the Agricultural Society held their last meeting there in December. Many other groups held meetings there and it had also been a billiard room. Jack and Reg returned from service in February and March. Jack ran the saloon bar with most of the others also working there at some stage.

All five sons worked at the main bar at some stage.87,88,34,35,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,70,98,99,100
Reg Phillips at the cash register, main bar, Hotel Australia, c. 1950
Image: Madge Phillips
When Jack, Reg and Laurie returned from war service, they brought with them hordes of mates and the family business was in full swing. There are enough stories from the family's days in the Aussie to fill a book. [Tom Carey]

At about 6:10 pm the head barman in the main bar would shout 'Time gentlemen, please!' After everyone shuffled out, there would be a tap-tap-tap on the front door with a coin, and the hardier ones would sneak in again and meet in the 'Cupboard' to continue drinking. They were from all walks of life, including cops. There were times it seemed like there were a hundred blokes in there. [Tom Carey]74,80
 
Bill Condon, racing expert: The Phillips boys perpetrated many pranks on former Shepparton News reporter and later Sporting Globe racing expert Bill Condon. He raced to more hoax 'fatals' at his peril, and went out to see more gelded sires than any other newsman in known history. Yet for all his naivety, he was still a brilliant journalist, according to the boys.

Tiny Moylan and the cellar: One night, locksmith genius, wag and trick cyclist Leo 'Tiny' Moylan, the only man who could ride a bike down Mt Major backwards mounted on the handlebars, rode into the cellar in the 'snake pit' before a crowd of patrons crying with laughter.74
 
For the enjoyment of the drinkers, every effort was made to serve the beer as fast as possible and as cold as possible.

There was only one beer available on tap, Carlton Draught. This was probably all you could get in Shepp as CUB were the only supplier. No bottled beer was picked up from the station, only barrels, plus wine, spirits, etc. So the only beer you got, at least in the early days, was Carlton Draught from the tap. Initially they used a single barrel at a time and tapped another when it was empty. Later we worked out a way to have 4-5 supplying the bars. The main bar had maybe 6-8 taps.

The beer was cold. There was a chute that funnelled cold air from the cellar over the next tray of glasses, under the bar. To pour the beer faster, we got Plutos so we could take the tap to the glass for refills. It was maybe 6 foot long, but because it warmed the beer slightly, you only used it in busy times. [Laurie Phillips]101,74

 
As beer sales increased, so did the need for cold beer and bar space. In early 1950s renovations, the underground coolroom was extended, a beer garden was added, the saloon bar was expanded, and the first floor accommodation wing above above it was added.

Two Beer Gardens
Shepparton and Mooroopna will shortly have two beer gardens - one at T Phillips' Hotel Australia, Shepparton, on vacant ground next [to] the saloon bar, in addition to the fernery; and Nev Coe, Royal Mail, at Mooroopna, has built a trellised shelter above the lawn in the back yard. Both should be [in] use for incoming summer. [Oct 1952]

Tiny Moylan would ride around the beer garden. He was known to bump into the well and go A over T. [Brian Phillips]

Extensions At Hotel
A building permit to extend the accommodation facilities at the Hotel Australia has been received by Mr TJ Phillips.

Plans provide for the remodelling of the premises so that additional bedrooms for the travelling public can be included.

Work will commence as soon as possible and will alleviate to some extent Shepparton's notoriously acute shortage of accommodation. Daily there are complaints from travellers that they are unable to obtain accommodation. They often have to go as far afield as Numurkah or even Echuca in search of a bed. [May 1950]87,102,34,103

 
The saloon bar run by Jack had become so popular it was made two to three times longer and named Jack's Bar.

Jack's Bar developed a reputation for its hijinks. Events included racing Trevor and Paul's bikes around the bar which sometimes resulted in minor injuries and often required the bikes to be fixed the next morning so the kids could get to school.35,34,104
Jack's Bar, saloon bar, Hotel Australia
Image: Hotel Australia
Jack was a keen Collingwood supporter, and for years only had a black & white TV in the bar. He refused to get a colour telly, much to the displeasure of many of the regulars. One day, Ned McDonald came into the bar and shot the telly! People scattered and ducked for cover; Jack bought a colour TV. [Tom Carey]105,35
 
There were lots of characters like Ned McDonald and Ron Higgins who enjoyed the different atmosphere Jack and the family had created in the saloon bar. Many became lifelong family friends.

The Phillips family returned to the saloon bar in March 2013 for a family reunion. This coincided with the renaming of Jack's Bar and with Jack's 90th birthday. Jack Phillips died a year later on his 91st birthday.
Phillips reunion in Jack's Bar, Hotel Australia, Mar 2013
Image: Shepparton News
Jack's Bar, Hotel Australia, Dec 2014
Jack's Bar, Hotel Australia, Dec 2014
Back in the main bar, Tom was the consumate publican.

Perfect Host
Business man or battler, Mick or Proddy, indigenous or import; it didn't matter to Tom, he treated you just the same.

The consummate host, if Tom didn't know somebody's name, he would go up beside Trevor or one of the other barmen, and with a voice even softer than usual ask 'Who's that bloke over there?' Just so he could address them by name.

Genial and small in stature, Tom could easily blend into the background if it wasn't for his crop of silver hair. As he mingled with the patrons, he'd be nursing his 'foursie', a small 4 ounce glass of beer that looked much like everyone else's, but allowed him to socialise all day without getting sozzled.

With the perfect attributes for his line of business, Tom would also offer a glass or round on the house, all but guaranteeing patrons would linger and be back. [From (House of Phillips), 'Chapter 3: Punters, Players and Politicians']

His mother had a saying: 'It's no good being poor and looking poor', and all six sons were noted for being well dressed. Tom has been described as 'always impeccably groomed'.

Such was the atmosphere Tom had created, the hotel was referred to as "Uncle Tom's cabin", "Phillips's hotel", or simply "Tom's".74,106,98
 
Tom was the master at getting people to go quietly, with tricks like:
'Have this one last drink on the house, then on your way.' [Laurie Phillips]

They once had a customer in the main bar who was extremely annoying and driving patrons away. One day Papa [Tom] asked me for ten Bob, which I gave him. Papa then proceeded over to this bloke and gave him the money. I had no idea why. A week or so later, Papa asked me how business had been lately. I thought, then said: 'Very good since so-and-so was gone. How did you do it? And by the way where's that ten Bob I gave you?' Papa told me if you loaned money to someone like that, you'd never see them again - and that that valuable lesson had cost me ten Bob. [Brian Phillips]34,15

 
Beer sales continued to climb into the late 1950s and six o'clock closing created the need for further renovations.

... [during] the peak of the 1950's and early sixties ... the Australia was regularly in the top 10 liquor sales figures of country Victoria and a couple of times in the top three. [Tom Carey]

Six O'Clock Swill
Six o'clock closing was introduced during the First World War, partly as an attempt to improve public morality and partly as a war austerity measure.

Six o'clock closing often fuelled an hour-long speed-drinking session, as men raced to get as drunk as possible in the limited time available. An unintended consequence was that patrons would save their glasses during the hour before closing time until the last call came for drinks, where the glasses would be refilled and patrons attempted to drink them all in the time left. The pressure to serve customers led to innovations such as a pipe from the taps so that the bartender did not need to carry the customer's glass to them. [Known as a 'Pluto']

Hotels catered for the short heavy drinking period after work by extending their bars and tiling walls for easy cleaning. The phenomenon changed Australian and New Zealand pubs as rooms in the building were converted to bar space; billiard rooms and saloon bars disappeared and separate bar counters were combined. [Wikipedia]

Tom had renovation plans approved but was financially stretched. In late 1956, he still owed £35,000 on the hotel and had estimated the renovations would cost a further £25,000.

Papa [Tom] was in debt to the hilt. For the renovations he borrowed money from Joe. [Laurie Phillips]

The late 1950s saw the new long bar added. To make way for it there was work on the dining room, lounge, kitchen and downstairs dormitory style rooms, and the beer garden was removed. There was now a bottle shop at the northern end of the bar, and this was run for eight years by Tom's sister-in-law, Bub Williams, who had recently sold the Junction Hotel in Toolamba. The verandah with its rotting timber was also removed during these renovations.74,107,108,87,109
Sis Phillips on the end, Brian Phillips next to her, main bar, Hotel Australia, c. 1960s
Image: Trevor Phillips
Hotel Australia, Shepparton c. 1963
These renovations left a single dormitory style room downstairs for staff, and consolidated all family and guest rooms on the first floor. In renovations around 1963, the central bedrooms were recast as self-contained units and a main/guest lounge provided. Of the seventeen rooms upstairs, four were now occupied by Phillips family. A March 1962 licensing report shows the renovation plans also included 18 new bedrooms in a wing over the main public bar, but they were never built.

Accommodation was managed by a number of different people up until the 1960s. From then, Don's wife Marion took over.87,110
 
Guests and other 'bona fide travellers' could legally be served drinks out of hours. It helped with beer sales but had unintended consequences.

Despite 6pm closing, there was a rule that 'bona fide' travellers (from 20 miles away) would be allowed to get a drink out of hours, including on a Sunday. You then had the situation where the Mooroopna drinkers would drive to Echuca, and the Echuca drinkers would drive to Mooroopna to get a drink. And then they would all pass each other on the way home again. [Tom Carey]

Some drinkers liked to place bets on the horse races. Tom's brother Joe was an SP (starting price) bookmaker and operated from the hotel. Though risky for Joe, it was more risky for Tom who could lose his licence if he was found to knowingly have bets placed on or near his premises. In 1968, there was a close shave with the gaming squad which ultimately resulted in a $50 donation to the Richmond football club.80,111,70
 
Renovations in 1962-1963 allowed the hotel to run large functions. The ground floor central area between the public and saloon bars was gutted, with provision for a new modern entrance foyer, large lounge and dining room. There were also new and enlarged toilet blocks in all sections and changes to outbuildings including store rooms.

Functions varied from formal to entertainment, with weddings the main part of the business. They were run by Don's wife Marion. Brian's wife Maureen could take over if Marion was unavailable. Other functions included a reception for Sir Rohan Delacombe (Governor of Victoria) as part of an RSL function, a football (handball) competition, and Tom's favourite, the Can Can Cabaret. Tom had a special connection with France from his First World War service.87,112,88,113,74
Laurie Phillips, Blair McKay (Shepparton RSL president), Tom Phillips, Sir Rohan Delacombe (Governor of Victoria), RSL function, Hotel Australia, Oct 1963
Image: Lesley Blythman
Don Phillips, Hotel Australia handball competition
Image: Don & Marion Phillips
Can Can Cabaret, Hotel Australia, c. 1960
Image: Lost Shepparton, Facebook
The Can-Can during French night at the Hotel Australia with Tom and Sis Phillips
Image: Terry Sier
The final renovations by the Phillips family were in 1972. The long bar was split and the gents toilet moved between the two parts. The larger part was effectively the new ladies lounge, and a new bar, 'The Arches', could service it and the main function room. The driveway was widened and the bottle shop moved next to it to become a drive-through.87,114
Hotel Australia, Shepparton c. 1972
A number of factors contributed to the timing and nature of the 1972 renovations.

The timing was prompted by a fire in the main bar around October 1971. That was when the Shepparton Show was held and they had to wake up the man who ran the Ferris wheel, who usually stayed at the hotel. The fire was damaging and disruptive but not enough to stop trading. A liquor licensing inspection in November resulted in a January 1972 'show cause' notice requiring advice on why certain damage had not yet been rectified. In April, Tom advised that the plans had been finalised.

The nature of the renovations resulted from the changing licensing laws and general availability of alcohol.

The licensing laws restricted the sale and service of alcohol almost exclusively to pubs for decades. Alcohol could usually be purchased only in pubs, and many states placed restrictions on the number of bottles per customer that could be sold over the counter. It was not until the late 20th century that 'bottle-shops' and chain-store outlets (where liquor was sold but not served) became common and restaurants and cafes were more widely licensed to serve liquor or to allow customers to 'bring their own'. [Wikipedia]

Tom once said:
There are more hotels to go around, or more particularly a lot more places selling bulk liquor, while the labor aspects in costs and quality are making things tough for publicans.

With the more relaxed norms around drinking, visitors of note were more likely to be seen in the main bar than in the function room. Such visitors have included Bob Hawke when he was ACTU President, Gough Whitlam shortly before he became Prime Minister, well-known Footscray football player Ted Whitten, and Harry 'Soapy' Vallence, a Carlton football player from Tom's home town of Bacchus Marsh.74,115,116,117,112,118
From left, John Riordan & Tom Phillips sharing a drink with Gough Whitlam (right), c. 1971
Image: Don & Marion Phillips
Carlton footballer Harry 'Soapy' Vallence and Tom Phillips 1975
Tom did all he could to keep the business viable, and son Don aimed to diversify.

Perhaps due to his early financial stress, he had some habits that seemed unusual.

I remember in the mid- to late-1970s, in the safe at the pub, Pa Pa had all his unopened paypackets. Easily 10, could have been 20. These were weekly pays and the amount was written on the front. $260 odd rings a bell (each). [Trevor Phillips]

Papa was funny with money. One day when I was working in Jack's Bar, in came JGB McDonald, Prime Minister McEwen and Moss, from Numurkah, asking to see Papa. I told Papa who was in his old clothes working out in the yard and didn't bother getting changed. Papa shouted them all a drink and when they left asked if I had any money on me to cover the beers. I convinced Papa that maybe this time the pub could pay. (Brian Phillips).

In 1977, Don had an idea to generate additional income, and the Phillips family purchased the Goulburn Valley Winery in Vaughan St.

By 1979, Tom and some of the family were ready to leave the business, though others were keen to continue.

Tom Phillips poured his last beer in September 1979.

The last of the great old time hosts has retired ...

State Governors and regular customers are treated with the same efficient and friendly greeting.

Tom and 'Sis' Phillips have built the Australia into an institution, which is now not only one of Shepparton's landmarks but a meeting place known throughout the State.119,120,121,122,74,34

 
TJ Phillips & Sons was formed in mid-1948 after Tom Phillips and his family purchased the Hotel Australia, having leased it from Dunnes since November 1944 for £25 a week. Initially there were no partners in the business. In August 1948, Tom's licence was transferred to the new partnership of TJ Phillips & Sons, consisting of Tom and the three eldest sons, Jack, Reg and Laurie.

The first half of 1955 saw major changes in the company structure. In April 1955, they formed a proprietary limited company consisting of Tom, Sis, Jack, Laurie, Don and 19 year old Brian. Reg took his share from the earlier partnership to persue other business ventures. Sis was now a shareholder in the company for the first time, as were Don and Brian. Between them, Tom and Sis had a small majority share holding. Tom was nominee in the new company and Jack was company secretary. In 1963, an allotment of shares to Reg meant all five boys were shareholders simultaneously for the first time. After a small share allotment to Brian in 1967, this share allocation remained until liquidation. Tom's estate plus Sis now accounted for 47% of the shares, and the others held between 4% and 17%.

In September 1979, the Hotel Australia licence was transferred from TJ Phillips & Sons to Biltel Hotels Pty Ltd. TJ Phillips & Sons was liquidated in November 1981.123,87,122,124,125
 
[Tom Phillips had purchased the Hotel Australia in mid-1948 for £50,000 and in September 1979 the Phillips family's business was valued at over $1 million. Their investment had resulted in an average rate of return over a 30 year period of about 8%, well above inflation.]
 
Mensland
In late 1954, Reg decided to leave the hotel and start his own business. He sold his share in the hotel and for a year or so, ran Mensland, a men's clothing business.126
 
City Dry Cleaners
Of Reg's business ventures, his best known is City Dry Cleaners. His first bundle of clothing was processed in his High Street shop in 1955 or 1956, and here he operated the business for about 20 years.

He built the business on quality and service, including a free delivery and repair service. The little Morris vans were seen throughout Shepparton picking up and delivering garments in the 1950s and 1960s.

The major changes to the business occured with the widespread introduction of the Perclean solvent (replacing white spirit), and movement of national cleaning businesses like Gouge and Spotless.

Reg sold the business in 1976 and it was still operating 20 years later.127,4
Reg Phillips, City Dry Cleaners, Shepparton, 1960
Image: Lost Shepparton, Facebook
Image: Lost Shepparton, Facebook
Original City Dry Cleaners staff: Bettie Maude, Pat Whyte, Bob Fitzpatrick, Ron McKay, Pattie Irwin & Tony Noonan, Shepparton, 1960
Image: Lost Shepparton, Facebook
Noel Heenan & Robyn Phillips with a City Dry Cleaners van, Shepparton, Sep 2002
Image: Shepparton News
Car Sales
After the dry cleaners, Reg worked as a car salesman, first with Shepparton Toyota and later with Goulburn Valley Motors.128,129
 
Tom's Will
Tom wrote a will in February 1962. As executors he named wife Irene Gladys and sons John Lawrence and Laurence Lloyd.

His shares in TJ Phillips & Sons Pty Ltd were to be held and dividends paid to Sis during her lifetime. Upon her death, Brian was to get 2000 shares, Rene was to get 2000 shares and Reg was to get 500 shares. The remaining shares were to be divided equally between the six children. The balance of his estate, including proceeds from sale, was also to be divided equally between the six children.130
 
Michael's Car Accident 
On 17 October 1970, Michael was a passenger in a car in which the driver lost control and hit a pole. The car was heading east along Rea St when a right turn was attempted at the T intersection and the car hit a telephone pole on the passenger side where Michael was sitting.131,132
 
After intensive care in Mooroopna hospital, Michael was transferred to Melbourne for two brain operations before returning to Mooroopna. His injuries left him hospitalised and unable to communicate. Madge and Reg were frequent visitors until his death in 1975.5,133
 
The Twins' 80th Birthday Celebration 
When twins Nene and Sis turned 80 in 1983, the family gathered to mark the occasion.
Sis Phillips (McDonald) & Nene Courtie (McDonald), 80th birthday party, Apr 1983
Reg & Laurie Phillips, Rene Barnes, Jack, Sis, Don & Brian Phillips (one of few photos with all six siblings), Amber Court, Shepparton, Apr 1983
Image: Pete & Di Phillips
Extended Phillips family at Sis & Nene's 80th birthday party, Amber Court, Shepparton, Apr 1983
Image: Peter Phillips
Sis's Will
Sis Phillips left a simple will with the balance of her estate being split equally between all six children.134
 
Reginald Phillips died at Repatriation hospital in Heidelberg on 9 August 1995, six days after his 71st birthday.

Following a service at St Brendan's church, he was buried at Pine Lodge cemetery in Shepparton East on 12 August 1995.4
 

Citations

  1. [S256] 'Phillips Reginald', A6770 Service Cards for Petty Officers and Men, 1911-1970, control symbol 'Phillips R', service record, 1942-1946.
  2. [S270] Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, registry and index, Reginald Phillips and 'Rosalind Marge' Helmer entry, marriage registration no. 4296, 1948.
  3. [S201] 'Easter weddings celebrated: Bridal gown of Swiss organdie worn by Miss Madge Helmer', Shepparton Advertiser, 1914-1953, newspaper, Thomas Pettit and William Callender, 2 April 1948, p. 9, viewed 8 August 2017, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/169558527
  4. [S263] 'Farewell to one of nature's gentlemen', Shepparton News, 11 August 1995, p. 17.
  5. [S551] Madge Phillips, eulogy, document, 19 October 2016.
  6. [S392] Australia, Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, online, Commonwealth division of Echuca, Victorian division of Goulburn Valley, subdivision of Shepparton, 1925.
  7. [S104] Laurence Lloyd Phillips, birth registration no. 35021, unknown date.
  8. [S233] Shepparton Shire & Town Rates Index, 1885-1939/1941, computer file, Shepparton Family History Group, Phillips entries.
  9. [S260] 'The greatest real estate sale ever held in Shepparton', Goulburn Valley Stock and Property Journal, 1910-1963, newspaper, Horan & Simpson, 9 July 1924, p. 2, viewed 31 July 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/215110804
  10. [S561] LANDATA, online property information, Certificate of title, vol. 2329, folio 702, Shepparton 1891-1938.
  11. [S52] Doris 'Nene' Courtie, personal communication, 30 December 1996.
  12. [S2] 'Arnotts Milk Arrowroot', Simply Australian, online, Cincinnati, Ohio, viewed 13 July 2014 https://www.simplyoz.com/products/australian_foods/…
  13. [S2] 'Great Depression in Australia', Wikipedia, online, Wikimedia Foundation, viewed 26 July 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression_in_Australia
  14. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 10 December 2012.
  15. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication.
  16. [S201] 'Aunt Mollie's letter: Birthday greetings', Shepparton Advertiser, 1914-1953, newspaper, Thomas Pettit and William Callender, 2 August 1935, p. 6, viewed 31 July 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/175417364
  17. [S201] 'New members', Shepparton Advertiser, 1914-1953, newspaper, Thomas Pettit and William Callender, 5 April 1935, p. 3, viewed 20 December 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/177603878
  18. [S201] 'Aunt Mollie's letter', Shepparton Advertiser, 1914-1953, newspaper, Thomas Pettit and William Callender, 18 April 1935, p. 10, viewed 20 December 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/186102831
  19. [S281] 'Phillips Family', Facebook, webpage, Facebook Inc, group created 25 June 2011, 5 January 2012 comment by Laurie Phillips in response to 17 December 2011 post by Irene Barnes.
  20. [S165] History of St Brendan's Primary School 1891-1991, St Brendan's Centenary History Committee, 1991, pp. 69-70.
  21. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 10 May 1996.
  22. [S201] 'Convent school: 300 children participate in pageant', Shepparton Advertiser, 1914-1953, newspaper, Thomas Pettit and William Callender, 27 November 1933, p. 4, viewed 8 February 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/168646549
  23. [S201] 'Watch this: Shepparton town land sale', Shepparton Advertiser, 1914-1953, newspaper, Thomas Pettit and William Callender, 1 March 1928, p. 5, viewed 5 May 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/179172549
  24. [S392] Australia, Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, online, Commonwealth division of Echuca, state division of Goulburn Valley, subdivision of Shepparton, 1931 & 1936.
  25. [S392] Australia, Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, online, division of Echuca, subdivision of Shepparton, 1934.
  26. [S392] Australia, Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, online, Commonwealth division of Indi, Victorian division of Goulburn Valley, subdivision of Shepparton, 1937.
  27. [S550] 'stage II: Heritage place datasheets, vol. 4 datasheets Murchison -Z, 2004', Greater Shepparton Heritage Studies, online, GSCC, 2001-, viewed September 2019, http://greatershepparton.com.au/bpi/planning/…
  28. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 26 May 2014.
  29. [S37] Margaret Deveney, personal communication, 11 March 1996.
  30. [S102] Jack Phillips, personal communication, 30 November 1996.
  31. [S281] 'Phillips Family', Facebook, webpage, Facebook Inc, group created 25 June 2011, 9 January 2012 post by Laurie Phillips.
  32. [S15] Irene Barnes, personal communication, 4 December 2013.
  33. [S31] Eileen Redden, personal communication, 25 February 1996.
  34. [S408] Brian Phillips, personal communication, 2 June 2015.
  35. [S102] Jack Phillips, personal communication, 2 March 2013.
  36. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 1996.
  37. [S281] 'Phillips Family', Facebook, webpage, Facebook Inc, group created 25 June 2011, 8 January 2012 post by Laurie Phillips.
  38. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 2 March 2013.
  39. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 31 August 2019.
  40. [S201] 'Personal pars', Shepparton Advertiser, 1914-1953, newspaper, Thomas Pettit and William Callender, 29 August 1936, p. 4, viewed 8 September 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/168150213
  41. [S560] 'Combined schools' Centenary sports and gala procession', Kilmore Free Press, 1868-1989, newspaper, T Hunt, 8 December 1938, p. 3, viewed 9 September 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/58111102
  42. [S560] 'Kilmore Old Collegians: Annual ball', Kilmore Free Press, 1868-1989, newspaper, T Hunt, 16 October 1952, p. 7, viewed 10 October 2020, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/58281382
  43. [S559] Jack Phillips Eulogy, document, 2 April 2014.
  44. [S15] Irene Barnes, personal communication, 5 December 2012.
  45. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 27 July 2019.
  46. [S265] Graeme Williams, personal communication, 31 January 2013.
  47. [S15] Irene Barnes, personal communication, 5 October 1996 and 5 October 2012.
  48. [S58] Violet 'Bub' Williams, personal communication, 1 September and 30 December 1996.
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  59. [S32] Laurie Phillips, personal communication, 27 December 1999.
  60. [S254] 'Phillips John Lawrence', A9301 RAAF Personnel files of Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and other ranks, 1921-1948, control symbol 58064, service record, 1942-1946.
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  78. [S255] 'Phillips Laurence Lloyd', A6770 Service Cards for Petty Officers and Men, 1911-1970, control symbol 'Phillips L L', service record, 1944-1947.
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  80. [S214] Tom Carey, personal communication, May 2001.
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  85. [S21] Lorraine Phillips, personal communication.
  86. [S563] 'Madge Phillips (née Helmer)', Salt of the Earth: Inspirational stories of Mooroopna & Ardmona women, Mooroopna Education & Activity Centre, 2016, pp. 45-46.
  87. [S310] 'Hotel Australia Shepparton', VPRS 7712 License Case Files (sample only retained), consignment no. P0002, unit no. 11, 1944-1981.
  88. [S215] Trevor J Phillips, personal communication, 28 October 2013.
  89. [S201] 'New hotel bar', Shepparton Advertiser, 1914-1953, newspaper, Thomas Pettit and William Callender, 30 November 1945, p. 1, viewed 19 July 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/170430054
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  104. [S215] Trevor J Phillips, personal communication, 10 February 2015.
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  110. [S215] Trevor J Phillips, personal communication, 10 March 2015.
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  112. [S215] Trevor J Phillips, personal communication, 15 February 2015.
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  118. [S215] Trevor J Phillips, personal communication, 4 March 2015.
  119. [S215] Trevor J Phillips, personal communication, 31 October 2013.
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  121. [S259] '50 years of memories', Shepparton News, September 1972.
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  129. [S281] 'Phillips Family', Facebook, webpage, Facebook Inc, group created 25 June 2011, 31 January 2020 comment by Reg Phillips on 2 December 2012 post by Peter Phillips.
  130. [S628] 'Thomas James Phillips', will, 22 February 1962.
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  132. [S289] Jane Murray, personal communication, 28 August 2014.
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