LGP News - Phil Gordon

Phil Gordon
Fri, Jul 30, 2010
Life is strange. Many of us would probably never know Phil and he wouldn't have been our Councillor if his path had not collided with ours in 2003 on the doorstep of Bob Ball's house during that knife edge local election campaign.
 
Matt Follett and myself were just leaving Bob's to do some final canvassing before it got too dark.
 
Phil came to the door to try and recruit us as donors for the Wildlife Trust. I thought, 'Oh no a salesman' and told Matt to hurry up.
 
However Phil's openess to wanting to talk green issues, his enthusiasm and Matt's energy synthesised to form a relationship that lasted until his untimely death.
 
I don't think any of us joined his Wildlife Trust and I am so glad that my dismissive protests were ignored. My life, like so many others in the Greens is the richer for knowing Phil.
 

We had planned to go for a long walk the Saturday before his death. The weather was so foul that Phil cried off saying that he did not want to get ill for work. This time I wish my protests were heard and Phil had got ill for work and I probably wouldn't be writing this now.

 
Nevertheless even in the short time my family and I knew him, our children loved him. One of the most precious family times we have had was spending an Easter Sunday afternoon with Phil as he guided us around Knighton Spinney identifying all the birds and trees.
 
My kids were wowed as he spotted woodpeckers and tiny birds that had flown from Africa. We jokily nicknamed him 'Owl Man', which, like with most things, he took in his gentle stride.
 
Matthew Gough
 
 
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