Phil Buckland fought the good fight for his community.The decades-long community and business stalwart succumbed to cancer on Saturday with great love, great family and a well-kempt patch of Mt Keira among his most prized assets.He lived to see his 29th wedding anniversary to wife Glenda.
Write your tribute to Phil Buckland at the bottom of this page Obituary: Phil Buckland, the unsung hero "In his own words, I was his wife, his lover and his best friend - I felt the same way about him," Mrs Buckland said. "We were married 29 years last Sunday. I think he wanted to make that milestone."Mr Buckland is popularly known as the Illawarra's "helicopter man" for the years he spent campaigning for a 24/7 rescue helicopter service for the region.He was a Rotarian, a member of the Figtree Lions Club and a founding director of The Illawarra Connection."He just loved Wollongong so much, and that's the reason he got involved in the helicopter because he thought that Wollongong was missing out," Mrs Buckland said.Workers at Buckland Auto Electrical Service took on a family-like quality under his 43-year watch. He sold the business in July last year. When he wasn't there, or tending one of his causes, his favourite place was his garden, Mrs Buckland said."He loved having barbecues in his backyard and he loved working in his garden. "And when his baby grandchildren were really tiny he loved taking them for walks in his garden. "He had nine grandchildren and two more due within the next two months." Mr Buckland also had a passion for cars. "The three special ones he had in his life were an MG, a Range Rover and an M3," Mrs Buckland said.Mr Buckland began campaigning for the chopper service in 2005. The former head of the region's Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service, Peter Mangles, remained a very good friend after the helicopter service arrived."He was a great leader, a man very full of character, very community minded, and a man with great strength who really focused on the battles that the community needed," Mr Mangles said.Mr Buckland passed away after a 12-month fight against cancer. He was 65. He is survived by his six children and stepchildren Wayne, Craig and Adam Buckland; Mark and Grant Jackson and Raeleen Logan.
