In that time he has been a member of the Gore and Mataura fire brigades.
Mr Phillips said he joined the brigade as a 16-year-old while still at Gore High School.
He followed family members, including his grandfather, Les Smith, and father, Gordon, who were fire brigade members.
His father was in the fire police unit and was awarded his 25-year gold star which made a big impression on Mr Phillips as a teenager.
"It helped propel me into the Gore brigade."
His mother, Norma, and sisters, Marilynne and Debbie, were very involved in St John.
Serving the community was "ingrained" into him from a young age, he said.
"It was part of what you did in our family."
A couple of years after he left school he moved out of home to live in the former fire station opposite the public bar, Traffers.
There were five bedrooms in the upstairs of the station where firefighters of mixed ages stayed.
"We used to play up a little.
"It was 54 steps to Traffers from my bedroom."
It was very rewarding serving in the brigade and there had been several times he was part of a team that had administered CPR and brought someone back from the brink of death.
"You’re there to save lives."
He also enjoyed the camaraderie of the brigade and made many friends throughout New Zealand.
The biggest fire he ever attended was at the St Mary’s Primary School in 1974.
"As a young firefighter the fire was horrendous.
"It was going from end to end."
One of his proudest moments in the brigade was being presented with his 25-year gold star award in front of his family members.
Throughout the years he had always taken part in the competitions organised by the United Fire Brigades’ Association of New Zealand either as a competitor, judge or administrator.
He was part of a Mataura team that won a national competition title three times which was another highlight.
Training for a competition was a good way to become more efficient at using the gear, he said.
Another proud moment was the year when Mataura held its 75th jubilee and he attended the celebrations in his role as the Otago Southland United Fire Brigades’ Association president.
As the Mataura brigade awards were always held before the anniversary of him joining up, he would be presented with his 50-year medal next year.
- By Sandy Eggleston
