Hundreds attend memorial service for veteran councillor (From This Is Wiltshire)

Hundreds attend memorial service for veteran councillor

4:39pm Friday 3rd July 2009

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Hundereds of people gathered in Trowbridge this afternoon for a service of thanksgiving for popular and long-serving councillor Tony Phillips OBE.

Cllr Phillipsm who had served 54 years in local government, died on June 22 after suffering a heart attack while gardening at home in Brokerswood.

His family held a private cremation service at West Wiltshire Crematorium in Semington beforehand.

Hundreds of people, including many councillors and members of the Scouts dressed in uniform, packed into St James’ Parish Church for the service led by the Reverend Julian Parker.

He said Cllr Phillips had led a full and useful life from beginning to end and left many good and stirring memories for those left behind.

Tributes came from Ted Pomeroy, group scout leader at Southwick and North Bradley Scout Group, which Cllr Phillips had been heavily involved with.

He described how Cllr Phillips had handed over part of Brokerswood Country Park, which he owned, as a campsite for local Scout groups.

He said: “Due to his generosity many hundreds of young people have had great opportunities through Scouting.”

Cllr Phillips was also district president of the Wiltshire West Scouts.

Mr Pomeroy added: “If Baden Powell was here today he would have said ‘Tony, well done and thanks from us all’.”

Former leader of West Wiltshire District Council, Cllr Graham Payne, also paid tribute, describing the first time he met Cllr Phillips when he visited Brokerswood with his family, where he saw him doing everything from digging trenches to serving ice creams.

He described him as a ‘political maverick’ but said he had always applied six tests to any decision he had to make as a councillor - it had to be legal, truthful, decent, affordable, of benefit to the electorate and necessary.

“This reflected his total honesty and candour in all matters,” he added.

Daughter Sue Capon described her father’s love of woodland and said he was never happier than when he was in the woods wearing old trousers held up by bailing twine and a bobble hat.

But she also said he could be an unemotional man who sometimes found relationships difficult to maintain.

“He leaves many legacies, both political and in forestry, and I am proud to be able to say he created the country park at Brokerswood but even more proud to be given his trust to continue his dream,” she said.

The congregation also heard Rudyard Kipling’s poem The Way Through The Woods read by family friend Jean Potter and sang Lord Of All Hopefullness, Lead Us, Heavenly Father, Lead Us and O God Our Help In Ages Past.

A collection in Cllr Phillips’ memory was made for Alzheimer’s Support West Wilts and Southwick and North Bradley Scouts.

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