The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Former referee and newspaper editor
Aformer Scottish grade one and FIFA-listed referee and journalist has died in Canada at the age of 89.
Londoner Frank Phillips, who played for Arsenal reserves before moving to Inverness, officiated in the Highland League and Scottish league in the 1970s.
He emigrated from Inverness with his family to Nanaimo in British Columbia in 1978 and has died there in a care home.
Frank is survived by his wife, Rena, children Gillian, Mark, Linda and Caroline, 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Born in London on February 11, 1933, he survived the London Blitz and was one of the children who were part of the Pied Piper Operation after losing his mother during the bombing.
After the war he went to a private school, Mill Hill
Academy, where he learned five languages.
He later joined the RAF for national service, doing a tour in the Korean War as a navigator and on one communications and reconnaissance mission, experienced a close call with a Russian MiG.
His military service took him to Kinloss. After leaving the RAF he began working for AI Welders in Inverness as a clerk and translator where he put his French skills to use.
It was in 1958 that he met the love of his life, Rena. They settled in Inverness and raised four children.
Frank began working in the newspaper industry and ended up as managing editor of many local newspapers including the Highland News, Football Times, Ross-Shire Journal and The North Star.
He was able to combine his refereeing duties with his role as editor of the
Football Times despite its publication day being a Saturday, such was his love of the game.
He also refereed a Scotland against England exhibition game.
Frank had a passion for football, cricket, hockey, boxing, basketball, golf, curling, darts and squash and even tried skydiving.
On March 31 1978, Frank and his family emigrated to Canada, with the exception of his daughter Gillian who followed later with her family.
They settled in Nanaimo where Frank began working in newspapers again and eventually became managing editor of the Nanaimo Daily Free Press.
After leaving that position he became a real estate agent at Nanaimo Realty.
He served on numerous committees including Vancouver Island Real Estate Board as president,
the Boxing Commission, and Nanaimo Darts League.
Frank also worked prior to his retirement with his son Mark at his car business.
Upon retirement Frank and Rena enjoyed travelling including trips to Scotland, New Orleans, Mexico, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
He continued to enjoy sports, playing regular games of golf, curling and darts. But his health deteriorated in the autumn of 2017 and he moved in to Nanaimo Seniors Village on January 2018 where he died earlier this month.
A former colleague, David Love said: “I learned
a lot from him and I will never forget those days of hot metal and huge print machines rolling out thousands of Saturday night sports papers before I helped distribute them throughout the north of Scotland.”