Tributes to Phil

On Wednesday October 19 there was a Service of Thanksgiving for Phil's life at our church, Canberra Baptist.  In spite of the sadness, it was a wonderful day surrounded by our large family and a huge crowd of Phil's friends and colleagues. 


His friend and colleague Barry McGaw spoke about Phil's professional life.  Phil's daughter Margaret about his family life and I spoke about our life together.  Here are the tributes if you are interested. 
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Barry Mcgaw

I first met Phil Hughes in 1973 when we were both members of the Executive Committee of the Australian Association for Research in Education. Phil became President in 1975 and I succeeded him in 1976. At the annual meeting in 1975, I read Phil’s presidential address for him because he was at home as his son, David, lay dying in hospital after a car accident.

In February this year, as Phil lay in St George’s Hospital in Sydney with a diagnoses of terminal cancer, Phil decided that he wanted to produce on more book in the time he had left. On his behalf, Kelli wrote to colleagues of Phil’s around the world inviting them to contribute chapters. In the brief to authors, Kelli said:

As the seventh child of a working class family from a tiny town in Tasmania, Australia, an effective education in Tasmania and later Oxford provided opportunities for Phil that most children from his background would never dream of. You will know that he has been passionate about an effective education for all, for the whole of his adult life.  So Phil is inviting you to write a concise paper, up to around 2,000 words, expressing your own views as to what you think is necessary to provide an effective, relevant, high quality education for all children. 
The chapters are all in. Phil assembled them into sections for each of which he wrote an introduction. The book is now with the publisher. That part is being handled by Rupert Maclean, a former student of Phil’s and a longstanding colleague and close friend now based in Hong Kong.
Phil completed a BSc at the University of Tasmania in 1946 and won a 1947 Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford where he completed an MSc. Phil went to Oxford to study nuclear physics. When he had selected his courses for his first enrolment, his tutor told him it was insufficient. Phil responded that he had chosen all the relevant physics and mathematics courses on offer but his tutor then said that the Oxford experience was about more than that. He encouraged him to look further so Phil added a course being taught by C.S. Lewis.
Phil said that it was the experience of C.S. Lewis’s lectures that convinced him to become a teacher. After Oxford he returned to Tasmania, completed a DipEd and became a teacher, first in the Royal Australian Navy College and then in secondary schools. By 1958, he was on the staff of the University of Tasmania. He became Principal of the Hobart Teachers College in 1963 and Deputy Director-General of Education in 1965.
In 1970, Phil moved to Canberra to become Head of the School of Teacher Education at the then Canberra College of Advanced Education, now the University of Canberra. He returned to the University of Tasmania as Professor of Education and Dean in 1980.

Phil retired at the end of 1990, just short of his 65th birthday. I suspect that the only people who noticed this retirement were those in the payroll section of the University of Tasmania.

Phil always led a full and balanced life, with a range of professional and other interests outside those involved in his official appointments and he continued those into retirement. I know that he finally gave up playing squash in his 70s because he found that he was too competitive to play in a way that befitted his age.

When he was in Canberra he served as the Foundation Chair of the new ACT Schools Authority where he worked closely with Hedley Beare, the first Chief Education Officer recruited to the Authority. I had the privilege of speaking at Hedley’s funeral in September last year. Perhaps I should have remembered the line from the famous US baseball player, Yogi Berra, and said to both Hedley and Phil, “I won’t come to your funeral if you won’t come to mine.”
Phil played a major role in professional associations, being honoured with the medals of both the Australian College of Educators and the Australian Council of Educational Leadership. He also received public recognition in his appointment as an Officer in the Order of Australia in 1991.
Phil’s commitment to educational opportunity and equity was evident not only in the vision he had for his final book but also in a lifetime of work in Australia and overseas and in his many engagements with UNESCO.
Phil worked in 18 countries. Apart from Australia, the US, and the UK that leaves 14 developing countries and France where his work was at UNESCO.
Phil was a wonderful mentor who became a lifelong friend and colleague to many whose early development he assisted. He had an extraordinary memory for the details of people’s lives and careers and he followed them with great interest. I wonder if he ever lost a friend other than through their death and now, at 85, through his.
Phil was a man of great integrity with a worldview shaped by a deep Christian faith. He was an active member of this church and was at one time President of the Baptist Union of Australia. He remained spiritually and theologically fresh and open through reading and rich conversation, two things that marked all of his life.
I last saw Phil on 6 September this year. He had slowed down, of course, but his mind was lively and he wanted to know all about the things in which I was engaged. I was on my way to see him from a hotel in Canberra on the morning of 12 October when I received a phone call from his daughter, Margaret, to tell me that he had just died.
I had the pleasure of knowing Phil’s first wife, Peg, and then of seeing the lovely relationship that he and Kelli developed in his later years. We saw them often when my wife and I lived in Paris from 1998 to 2005 and since then in both Canberra and Melbourne, often as guests in one another’s houses. 
Today, we celebrate the life of a great Australian educator and a wonderful human being. It was a privilege to learn from and be inspired by Phil and a delight to be his friend. 
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Margaret Clark, Phil' s oldest daughter

 

Before the age of five Phil had rolled his parents car into the river – jumping out at the last minute - and burnt down a barn.   I think his parents realized from this that their youngest of seven had a lot of energy for life.  His family – across all generations have been major benefactors of this zest for life.

As we were growing up in the 50s and 60s our parents had quite clear roles – as did most families – but ours were different

·         Mum was in charge of the “essential“ parts of life – she looked after the house, shopped, fed us, washed for us, clothed us, looked after us when were sick – and she was great at this. 

·         But all the extra bits, these were firmly Dad’s responsibility; bath time and story time each night – where we all snuggled up either on dad’s knee or next to him – in a big wiggling lump.   This was highly anticipated – there was always time for several stories to be read before bed – and this was always Dad’s job.  I am sure that between my siblings and I we could reconstruct several favourites – Pippi Longstocking, Milly Molly Mandy, Winnie the Poo, Madeline, Ping the Duck, Tim and Ginger….and Clever Bill Davis.  These were read with great enthusiasm (despite the endless repetition), complete with appropriate voices and the singing of any included songs. 

we knew from mum’s outraged comments that the tunes were all wrong but we did not care and neither did dad

Sunday nights were concert nights and sessions singing around the piano played by mum.  I was always a bit put out because Phillip, being the eldest always got to be MC.

A variety of ball games were played in the very large garden. All of the girls learnt the proper way to kick and mark an Aussie rules ball, the proper way to bat and bowl in cricket – I even went to on to play in the Hobart Matric College’s inaugural Girls AFL team coached by a well known Clarence player thanks to this.

 

Lou the youngest also remembers the inside games  - cards and board games – and says that long after her siblings refused to play with her, good old Dad would play – even Twister apparently – I wish I could remember this.

Family holidays were a big deal – usually at a beach or the bush somewhere in Tasmania – often a place no one had heard of.  I doubt anyone here outside the family would have heard of Lisdillon or Stawberry Point.

This involved swimming from September on  - in Tasmania – if you can imagine!!!,  or lots of  walking in snow, rain or sun, picnics usually at locations where a football could be kicked around, even walks with singing  (I can still remember singing ‘I love to go a wondering along the mountain track’ ….) and playing five hundred in the evenings. 

As a teenager and second oldest I thought all this was a little uncool – my friends returned to school with stories of hanging out in town, sleeping in (unheard of in our family), going to the movies, sun-baking at the beach and I longed to be part of this.  Looking back I am grateful for such a rich family life but I was a somewhat begrudging participant for some of this time.

Now looking back I wonder how he managed this.  He had senior jobs with lots of responsibility from when we were quite young.  But I never remember him coming home and needing time to himself or being bad tempered over a work incident.  When he came through that door all the problems and challenges of the day were put aside.  They became unimportant and whatever we thought to be important was the focus of attention.

He also had the significant challenge of managing a half-acre back yard with many fruit tress and requiring constant maintenance.  His energy for life must have been amazing – but something we never questioned.

I recently flew over the Painted Desert in the USA and it reminded me of our big road trip across the US for quite some weeks from San Francisco to Illinois via Texas. Usually when I think of our time in the USA I think of it from my child eyes, days in the car - Tim falling out in the middle of the desert; Dad rushing in with the car door in his hand yelling, ‘Who left the door open?’ being congratulated on learning to speak American and so on.  But this time I reflected on just what a challenge my parents set for themselves.  I mean how many people would take six kids, aged from 18 months to 10 years across the US in a ranch wagon for 8 weeks? They must have been mad and on occasion absolutely exhausted.    

Although our attention was never drawn to his responsibilities and his high profile, we were aware that he was highly respected.  But he was also always learning and growing.

·         He went to Oxford with the intention of bring a nuclear physicist, but after attending CS Lewis lectures decided that being an educator was for him,

·         He once had a fierce argument with me about the use of Ms  - not Miss and Mrs - which would seem ridiculous to him today,

·         His view on refuges who ‘jump queues’ was radically shifted on meeting people with this history, hearing their stories and becoming their friend,

·         He had very European sensibilities about art until he went to the Australian red centre and reassessed Fred Williams in this light,

·         Quite recently he declared that of course I should be allowed to marry my long term partner Anne Marie, and

·         As a life long one eyed AFL fan he even watched a game of rugby with some enthusiasm in his last week of life, thanks to Kelli – this I never expected to see.

However he never changed his fundamental principles and values framed within the best of the judo-Christian traditions - his deep and abiding commitment to fairness, social justice, and communitarian values of the common good stayed with him all his life – they defined the core of who he was and guided his actions, judgments and priorities.

His ability to learn and grow all his life was also fed by his ready ability to empathise with people he met from all walks of life.  Sometimes this was taken to comedy like extremes like the time we stopped for bread at a local store near our home where we have not gone to before.  When the owner served him he asked, ‘Are you a local then?’.  No said Dad – not wanting to hurt his feelings.  Where are you from?  “Melbourne.”  Where in Melbourne? “Ah Toorack. Fancy that, I used to live in Toorack – what street? And did you know???”

My brother Tim also recounts a tale of eating at a café with Dad and not wanting the sizeable portion of meat. Just before the waiter came to collect the plates Dad scoops up all Tim’s leftovers into a napkin and stuffed them in his pocket because he didn’t want the waiter to be upset.

In my mother’s last few years after her stroke she could not be left alone.  Now dad could have afforded to bring in carer support but he took this new responsibility in his stride.  He took her to work, to sit on a chair in the garden while he worked, and even to meetings and conferences.

When she died he was devastated.  I don’t know why I did not understand but I think I assumed that my father was the strong one and that meant he was going to be fine on his own.  I underestimated his constancy and his devotion.  His next few years after this were very lonely ones and seeing him in this state caused me genuine anguish. But then Kelli came along.  She literally brought him back to life again and I am very grateful that he had 12 wonderful years with her.

I have talked about the three characteristics of his life that most defined him for me;

–     Energy for and love of life,

–     Ability to grow and learn, while maintaining core beliefs and values, and

–     Constancy and commitment - the primacy of relationships – not just partnerships although these were of great importance, but relationships writ large.

Right up to the last weeks of life dad was interested in those around him and in ideas of importance.  I told him of a book that had excited me – the Spirit Level - and as tired and fragile as he was he immediately read it from cover to cover on my i-pad.  When family visited he wanted to know about Kieran’s visa application process, Al’s plans for returning to the US, Charlie’s nascent walking and the latest activities of Maddie and Noah with whom he had a very special relationship.

I will miss my Dad more then I even understand or can predict today.  He will leave a gaping hole I know. But his life was a life well lived and his dying was something that retained dignity love and courage. 

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 Kelli Hughes

Thank you all for coming. I am sorry that it is crowded and some are standing.  Our family has celebrated many other occasions here - many of them happy - weddings and baptisms but other funerals too.  It is the church where Phil and I worship week after week so it it appropriate that we come here today to join with our community of faith to remember Phil.   It means a great deal to us as a family to see so many people from all the areas of Phil’s life – family, friends and colleagues.  This is a hard day for us and your being with us today is a great comfort.

Phil lived a long, full and fulfilling life.  He was up to page 190 in his autobio and still had the last 10 years to write so there is no way we could cover all that territory today.  I want to talk about just 3 aspects of his life – his faith, his family and our life together.

Phil was a man with a strong faith in God.  As a teenager he decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ and that had a profound impact on the rest of his life.  Organised religion frequently made him despair but his faith in God sustained him to the end.  He tried always to follow the example of Jesus – this was obvious in many aspects of his life but probably most noticeably in his concern for those on the margins of life, especially those who were missing out on opportunities for a good quality education.  He worked tirelessly to help improve access to education in developing countries and especially the education of women and girls.  He lived a life of service to others.  Throughout his life, amazing opportunities came his way – far more than a boy from Sheffield in Tasmania could every have dreamed of.  But Phil was always conscious that with opportunities came responsibilities and there are many here today who can attest to the myriad of ways he met those responsibilities. 

His family meant the world to him.  The death of his son David at age 19 was a devastating blow and he vowed that nothing short of death would ever separate him from his remaining five children and over the years he showed unconditional love to all of you.   He was so proud of the people you became and the ways in which you work to improve the lives of others and make the world a better place.  As you had children and your children had children, he delighted in their company.  He took great interest in your wide variety of activities and was immensely proud of your achievements regardless of whether that was a first class honours degree or being the most helpful boy in the school playground.  In his latter years as his own abilities began to fade, he treasured time spent with the youngest children in the family – you swamped your Papa Phil with your love and zest for life and gave him great hope that the future would be in good hands.

It is 12 years since Phil and I walked down this aisle on our wedding day.  James was playing the organ and Thorwald was officiating.    A few days before our wedding, T had a deep and meaningful chat with me.  He asked whether I had fully considered the implications of marrying a man 20 years my senior.  I told him that if we could have 5 good years I would be content and any more would be a bonus.  I could never have envisaged then how good those years would be – I believe those years enriched us both.  We have been great mates and so much more.  Without Phil I would never have met Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair, James Hird and Sachin Tendulkar nor the hundreds of amazing school teachers who work their socks of year after year to prepare the next generation to take their places in the world.  I would never have worked alongside Phil in places as varied as Oman and Paris, Korea and Thailand, China and the USA and travelled the world.  I would never have eaten at some of the world’s best restaurants but had just as much enjoyment picnicing with him by the lake, on the banks of the Seine or eating meals around our table at home with family and friends while putting the world to rights.

In the days to come, I will try to remember all the good times we shared rather than the Phil-shaped hole in my heart.  I know that won’t be easy. I truly believe that the world is a better place because Phil lived here for 85 years.  Miss Smith, his primary school teacher once asked him, “Phil, is that your best?”  Across the years those words continued to echo in his mind and he always sought to give his best and it was rare that he didn’t succeed.