Letter of Recommendation (3)

May 2008

When Pinelands Primary School in Cape Town, South Africa, advertised the post of Headmaster in 1993, Bruce Phillips was one of the applicants. At the time I was a member of the Governing Body of the school, so was one of the team who interviewed and appointed him, a fact I later boasted about occasionally! We were looking for a leader who would take the school into the new South Africa; someone with energy, enthusiasm, experience and high principles. The other applicants were good, but our decision was unanimous – no-one could compare with Bruce. And he more than lived up to our expectations.

From a personal point of view, Bruce became a dear friend. I was able to see him “in action” more often than other parents, as I helped the needlework teacher, and became involved in other projects, such as advertising school events. As a non-professional, I am not able to comment on his teaching, sports, or other skills, but can only talk about what I observed as a parent and governing body member.

The first thing that strikes one about Bruce is his good humour. The next is his serenity – if something gets him down, he doesn’t allow it to affect his work. His can-do attitude rubs off on those around him – he generates cheerful liveliness and activity – there is a happy buzz of busyness wherever he goes.

I also noticed how he was able to invigorate those who had been coasting, appointing extra tasks for them to add to their normal duties, that somewhat to their surprise they found they thoroughly enjoyed.

The youngest children in the school were aged between five and six. As a father himself, he realised that the Headmaster can be a rather daunting figure to the little ones. I heard how, when he had some spare time, he would arrive in a junior classroom, and sit down and talk to the children, listen to them, read them a story, or join in an activity.

My time at the school had ended when I dropped in for a visit one day and he told me had been appointed to Craighouse School. While I was sad he was leaving, I was happy for him, because he deserved such a wonderful opportunity. He told me that his knowledge of Spanish had been an advantage, and I recalled a story he had told me about his time in Walvis Bay, in Namibia. A Spanish-speaking family had come to live there, none of them speaking English. No-one in Namibia speaks Spanish. He met them when the children were enrolled at the school. Realising the family’s predicament, he started to learn Spanish, just so both the parents and the children would have someone to talk to and to help them adjust.

He did it out of the kindness of his heart. That, to me, sums up the man Bruce Phillips.

Patsy Tyler.
Ex-Governing Body Member,
Pinelands Primary School,
Cape Town.

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