Tribute

“Aussie Dave,” as he became known later in his Canadian life, was the second of six children born to Marie and David ‘Mac’ Phillips in New South Wales. He is predeceased by his parents and younger brother, Peter. Survived by his widow Louise, stepson Robin Whitney (Kelly) and family, Dave’s elder brother Brian (Sue), and sisters Barbara Brownlow (Bob), Alison Whitley (Peter) and Helen Hewitt (Alex), and many beloved cousins, nephews and great-nephews/nieces. Also mourned by his Campbell in-laws from his first marriage.

A Commonwealth scholar, Dave interrupted his studies when he was 21, “in pursuit of a red-haired woman” who had been visiting Australia. The move was not a romantic success but left Dave with some useful Québecois expletives. After a stint at Queen’s University, he landed in BC and applied his mathematical and drafting skills to working in the mining business.

In 1970, David married Mary Campbell (another red-haired woman) and they settled in Vancouver, where Mary worked in professional theatre admin. Dave finally took a degree in Landscape Agriculture at UBC, but continued making maps for geological companies.

Mary died in 1988. David married her close friend Louise Whitney in 1996. Stepdad to her son Robin, he eventually was “honoured and proud” to be “Grandpa Dave” to Robin and Kelly’s children, Annabelle, Luke and Patrick. In 2001, Dave and Louise took a year off to travel in New Zealand, Australia and Mexico. On their return, they sold their Vancouver house and settled in Sandy Hook, Sechelt, where Dave applied his carpentry skills to building sheds, decks and steps for Sunshine Coast clients. They moved to Crofton in 2019 to be nearer family. Despite his devastating heart attack in 2021, they managed one more trip to Australia, where Dave insisted they hike up the back of Bald Rock; an astonishing feat for an amyloidosis patient.

David was a true Renaissance man. A passionate sailor, he crewed on a sailboat from the Eastern Seaboard to San Francisco, and later sailed Vancouver to Hawaii with a friend. Dave owned a succession of old wooden boats, sometimes more than one at a time. He was a member of the Maple Bay Yacht Club, delighted in building dinghies, and happily volunteered with the Ladysmith Maritime Society. His cartoons and caricatures appeared in magazines and online, and in his treasured Christmas and birthday ‘Ockards.’ He often devoured several books at a time; non-fiction, poetry, and things maritime were top of his reading list. He loved music, from jazz and classical to opera.His wry Down Under humour was a wonderful counterpoint to his kind, loving, generous and trusting nature. He never knowingly harmed a fellow creature, human or animal.

The family wishes to thank the many doctors, nurses and care aides who helped ease David’s final difficult year: dear friends Tom and Mark, the Heart Function and Pacemaker clinics at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, Cowichan Valley Hospital, Home Care Nursing and Home Support, Palliative Care, and especially the Crofton Pharmacy staff, Dr Suilven MacGregor, and Cowichan Hospice House.

Interment of David’s ashes will happen at St Mary Magdalene Church on Mayne Island at a later date, and the family will hold a Celebration of Life in Crofton. Louise Phillips thanks everyone who has sent such thoughtful verbal, written and floral good wishes. In lieu of more flowers, please consider a donation to animal rescue or Heart and Stroke Foundation.