Phil romanticises his early life in Hong Kong in the 60's - it is a massive part of who he is, and how he sees the world. The fact that my family (pre-my time as I only came along later) was there at the same time, means that there are many shared memories. Plus I know Phil had and has a significant amount of devotion towards my father.
As life has gone on, Phil has put a whole lot of effort into putting the Brown's journey - particularly in SEA - into print, and my family has been a significant part of that, at least in terms of what has resulted on paper. Phil was devoted to my dad, and my dad to him. There were issues there, between the two families, that may or may not have been spoken about so much. But nevertheless, and perhaps because of that, Phil made a big effort to be a part of my parents life, especially after dear old Uncle Ted had passed on. Another couple of cousins - Libby and Louise (by marriage) - have also in recent years contributed significantly to the recording of the Brown's history. I have recently made contact with both, and look forward to getting to know them again.
The two photos below are of Phil first with my dad, and then with my eldest brother Mick, both of whom are now sadly enjoying celestial dim sum in the afterlife.
As you can see, Phil is a heck of a character, albeit a neurotic one. He has a fantastic wife and a now-grown son, and I have seen none of them in 10 years. Alas the last time we met I was not in a good place, and I am sorry they had to see that. But, life goes on. I don't believe everything happens for a reason, but happen it did. My side of the story is a private one, so people will have to believe what they may. Nevertheless, my behaviour wasn't the best, and I regret putting a downer on their visit to KL that year.
Luckily though, life provides many opportunities, both to fuck up and excel, and I am pleased that I have many fond memories of Phil and his family. From the early days when I accompanied him on a tour of his old HK hangouts, to a visit to Singapore in the mid-80's, and then a number of catch-ups from 2007-2008 when I was living in Brisbane. I was pleased to find the photo below, of us enjoying yum cha one day with one of Phil's old friends. I believe he is an old cricketer, but for the life of me I can't remember his name. Phil if you ever read this blog, please let me know!
It was after Phil's visit to Singapore, that he started sending me books. One of those is shown below - 50 Incredible Cricket Matches - and whilst I had already developed an interest in the sport, Phil's generous provision of numerous cricket books to me from across the waves, certainly had a major impact in turning my interest into a lifelong obsession. Thanks Phil! I still have this book and still enjoy flicking through it to celebrate some of the matches of yore.
Apart from books Phil has sent to me over the years - and I do recall sending him a couple at one point, following a discussion on our respective spiritual journeys at that time - I have enjoyed reading his own works. The last book of Phil's - The Kowloon Kid - in my opinion, is his best. His most well-written, and well-edited. Some fucktard on Goodreads criticised it for being too self-absorbed. I had to laugh, before I condemned said critic to hellfire and brimstone, because hey, it's a fucking memoir. If it's not self-absorbed then it's not doing the job right? Stupid prick.
Sorry for my appalling language, but you know what? It's my fucking blog, so if you don't like it, bad luck for you old cob. Anyway, I digress. Phil's latest book is superb. Here's a shot of the cover below:
It brought back some wonderful memories, and gave me an insight into Brown family life - including my own - in what is all of our favourite nostalgic destination - Hong Kong.
I have been scouring for photos of some of Phil's visits to us in HK and Sing, but can't find any at this point. Hence the need for a photo organisation project. So for now, I'll sign off on this one. Thanks Phil, I admire you mate, and have enjoyed our relationship over the years. Looking forward to the next yum cha!
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