Country towns like Gunnedah are built by communities with those dedicated to making their world a better place often forgotten as their memory is lost in the mists of time.

Rita Joyce Phillips is one such person and with no descendants to cherish her memory and people she has known and loved passed on, her good deeds have also faded away.

Back in 1995 when I was working as a humble cadet journalist with master editor, the late Ron McLean, I was privileged to interview and write the stories of more than 100 beloved seniors in our town.

Rita Phillips was profile number two and her story of dedication and quiet commitment deserves to be told again.

She was born on the family farm, Calala at Curlewis, on September 7, 1912, and had early ambitions of becoming a nurse but sadly in that time her father believed that “men alone should be breadwinners”. So, she stayed on the farm to help her mother and assist with the education of two younger sisters.

And so began Rita’s adult life of care, compassion and service of others, which resulted in the honour of 1987 Quota Woman of the Year.

The Phillips name had long been associated with the Curlewis district, with Rita’s grandfather GW Phillips arriving in the area from Merriwa in the 1880s.

Rita always treasured the Bacon & Co; receipt for the sale of property Calala. Rita’s father Sydney Ernest Phillips continued to farm the property and met his future wife Violet Gurd when she came to Curlewis as a teacher.

The young Miss Gurd was responsible for opening the first school at Milroy and used her teaching experience to educate the Phillips children during their primary years. Rita was the second eldest in the family with two younger sisters, June and Mabel, and an older brother Ronald.

During her high school years Rita attended Tamworth High School and was boarded dormitory style at the relatively new Calrossy School.

Following three years of high school education, Rita returned to Calala to help her mother with household duties.

During this time, the property was sold and the family moved to Glendhu, a Gaelic name meaning Black Glen, near Gunnedah – the advent of the war years meant “all hands-on-deck” at the farm.

As she watched other women heading off to join the Land Army, to become drivers for officers, Rita made the decision to stay and help her father on the property.

As she became proficient at handling a tractor, Rita was able to help with the crop planting – although she “never learned the mechanics of the thing”.

In 1951 as the Great South Land recovered from the Second World War, Rita was offered an office position at the Curlewis Farmers Co-Operative and moved to Stock Road with her parents, when Glendhu was sold the following year.

Several years later she became the book-keeper at AML&F (Australian Mercantile Land and Finance), which opened a branch in a tin shed at the back of the Co-Op in the 1950s. Coming off the land, the job gave Rita a chance to meet country people and handle the books for the firm. After a few years in the tin shed, the office was relocated to the former site of the Bank of NSW residence in Conadilly Street, next to Westpac.

Rita had many fulfilling years with the firm before leaving in 1968 to care for her aged mother.

After the death of her mother in 1971, Rita returned to the position and stayed until her retirement at the age of 60, when she began plunging herself into a wide range of charitable programs, including GS Kidd Memorial School Red Cross and Better Hearing Australia Association.

Rita’s association with Red Cross dated back to the war years when she was involved with the Red Cross tea-rooms and she served several terms as president and treasurer.
Rita took a great interest in the development of the new technical college in Gunnedah serving on the board in the early years and she was a keen worker and committee member for the Gunnedah Village Homes Association.

In 1991, Rita was awarded a certificate of appreciation for outstanding service to the hearing impaired in the Gunnedah community, an interest she took on when her father’s hearing deteriorated with age.

Although a supporter of many local groups, Rita’s passion for Quota shone through and she was awarded a 25-year membership certificate in 1987 followed by an Australia Day Gunnedah Shire citizenship award in 1988 as the bicentenary of Australia was celebrated.

The now closed Quota Club of Gunnedah was a local community service group dedicated to supporting women, children, and people with speech and hearing difficulties.

As part of a larger, women-focused service organisation, Quota helped address local needs, including initiatives like collecting toiletries for rural women.

When she was honoured with the Quota Woman of the Year award, Rita had served on every executive position and had been involved in all facets of the club’s activities.

Rita’s citation was prepared by Margaret Cull, who described her as “a great family person who gave her time and talent without counting her own cost”.

Rita’s leisure interests included crochet, dressmaking and needlework, in which she won many prizes. She also completed a woodwork course at the technical college, making a complete bedroom suite. Gardening and travel were other interests and she enjoyed trips to Europe and New Zealand, as well as all over Australia.

In her final years, Rita Phillips was cared for by the dedicated staff at Lundie House, where her long and fruitful life ended on October 16, 2003, at the grand old age of 91.

Gunnedah is a better town and community for the life and times of Miss Rita Phillips.