At school Phil was an all rounder, strong academically and an excellent sportman – full back and kick for the first 15, rower, cricketeer, high and long jumper and runner. He was a prefect and took part in Cadets and the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.

After school Phil tried the law, following in what was a bit of a family tradition, but he found it was not for him. After some time at the ABC, Phil took a temporary job as a brickies’ labourer. After about a week Phil was promoted to foreman. 

Then Phil followed his father into real estate, first at his father’s firm in the city and later at D.M. Scott Real Estate at Edgecliff.  When Alan Barron opened the D.M. Scott office in Bowral in the mid 1960s there were only a few real estate offices in the Southern Highlands, unlike today’s crowded market. 

After the death of his father in 1982, Philip ran the D.M. Scott Bowral office and subsequently took on the L.J. Hooker franchise. Recently Phil had been working with Jackson Wall. 

As a businessman, Phil was old school, known for his integrity and considered a gentleman by all who knew him.

For the most part of his working life Phil ran the business and sold real estate. He was a good employer, always very generous and considerate of his staff.

Perhaps Phil would have been better off designing houses rather than selling them. He loved making detailed scale models of houses and drawing plans. He was very creative and in the 1980s designed his own charming house at Exeter. He also carried out a major renovation on the Burrawang house.

With the Readers’ Digest Manual in hand no job was beyond Phil. He built dry stone walls, including the beautiful gate posts at Robin Hill on the Gib, strong enough to support the large wrought iron gates sourced from an old house, and he laid complicated patterns of floor tiles at his Burrawang house.

Phil was community-minded, a member of Rotary for many years and an enthusiastic worker at the annual Australia Day event. He used to make up Christmas hampers and leave them anonymously on the doorstep of tenants he thought were doing it tough. Recently he had been visiting at least one resident in Harbison Homes because he heard that she never had a visitor. 

Phil was a voracious reader with tremendous general knowledge. He was particularly fascinated by ancient history and was always able to explain classical allusions.

Phil had excellent taste, he loved beautiful things and collected antique furniture, paintings and carpets. He enjoyed gardening, not just vegetables and a few flowers but hedges, espaliered fruit trees and a parterre garden, nothing too simple.

Phil had a wonderful and sophisticated sense of humour, sometimes it was too subtle and went over the heads of lesser mortals. He collected great sayings and Latin maxims and enjoyed spoonerism type word plays. He enjoyed travel and had made several overseas trips with particular interest in England, France and Turkey.

In December 2017 Phil had managed the massive downsize and move from Burrawang to Bundanoon. He was looking well, had commenced major renovations to the new house and was optimistic about the future. In fact, Phil was always making plans – to learn French, to travel more, to catch up with old friends. Just recently he was thinking about designing and building another house.

Phil’s sudden death on May 2, 2018 was a great shock to his many friends and business colleagues. 

A funeral service was held in Sydney at the Macquarie Park Crematorium on May 11.

Phil is survived by his sister Joanna Vink, niece Alix Magney and great nephews Max and Will Magney.