Sandy Phillips

Infobox Person
name = Sandy Phillips


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birth_date = April 30 1879
birth_place = Sydney Australia
death_date = June 29 1962
death_place = Sydney Australia
education = Newington College
University of Sydney
University of New England
occupation = Co-Headmaster Mowbray House School
Headmaster Sydney Grammar School
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spouse =
parents = Reverend Phillips
children =
nationality = Australian
website =

Frederick George (Sandy) Phillips was the second Australian-born headmaster of Sydney Grammar School. [Clifford Turney, Grammar - A history of Sydney Grammar School 1819-1988 (Syd, 1989) pp 388]

Early Life

Sandy Phillips was born in Tamworth, New South Wales, the son of a Methodist Minister. He attended Newington College (1894-1898) [Newington College Register of Past Students 1863-1998 (Syd, 1999) pp 156 ] where he became known as 'little Sandy' as his brother was 'big Sandy'. The nickname Sandy followed him through life. [A.S. Sams, 'Farewell to FGP' The Australian Teacher (Syd, 1962) pp 2-6 ] He entered the arts faculty of the University of Sydney in 1899 and was awarded first class honours in English on his graduation. [ [http://www.bull.usyd.edu.au/as/ Alumni Sydneienses] ]

Teaching Career

Phillips began his teaching career as a schoolmaster in 1902 under the headship of Albert Bythesea Weigall. In 1904 he travelled to Europe to study history, education and language at the Universities of Berlin Leipzig Paris. After completing his Master of Arts, Phillips returned to Sydney Grammar and was the senior english master until 1914. [Clifford Turney, Grammar - A history of Sydney Grammar School 1819-1988 (Syd, 1989) pp 202-203 ]

Mowbray House School

In 1914 Phillips left Sydney Grammar and became co-headmaster with Lance Bavin of the private Mowbray House School in Chatswood, New South Wales. Bavin had been at Newington as a student with Phillips and had opened Mowbray House, as Chatswwod Preparatory School, in 1906. Phillips remained at Mowbray house until his return to Sydney Grammar in 1924. [Frederick Phillips, School is Out, Angus & Robertson (Syd, 1957) ]

Headmaster

In 1940, after eight years as Master of the Lower School, Phillips was appointed as the sixth Headmaster of Sydney Grammar School. On his appointment he was 61 and the war years were difficult for the school. Sir Victor Windeyer said of his term of office: "The Headmaster wisely and modestly considered that his task was to preserve the heritage of the past so far as he could, so that on it his successor might build. He saw the need for changes and developments in the School to meet the challenge of change outside; but these, he felt should be begun by those who would carry on." [The Sydneian, No. 349, December 1962, pp 11] He had been an inspirational teacher and had sunstantially improved the cultural life of the school even for a student like Max Dupain who was not scholastically inclined; "Thanks to my English sixth form master, Sandy Phillips, I learned to love Shakespeare". [ [http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2007/dupain/docs/maxdupain_modernist_guide.pdf Max Dupain Modernist] ]

References