Good news can be hard to come by, but for parents and students at three Ovens Road schools, the return of crossing guard Phil Spencer was the best news they could have hoped for.
Mr Spencer manned the crossing five days a week for five years, helping students from Sacred Heart and South Thornlie primary schools and Thornlie High School navigate the busy road, becoming an integral part of the school communities.
That stopped just prior to the start of the 2023 school year when Phil was told he was being moved for “operational reasons”.
It was something parents and students didn’t see coming, and it was something they wouldn’t stand for.
After months of campaigning, including an online petition, Mr Spencer returned last week, permanently, to rapturous support and he couldn’t be happier.
He said it was a shock to be relocated in the first place.
“Geez what a shock that was, I had no idea I had that effect on people,” he said.
“It says in your contract you can be relocated, but I wasn’t expecting it.
“I didn’t want to go, I offered to give up my mileage payment but they wouldn’t hear it, I was being relocated if I liked it or not.
“So I was at Maddington Primary but I kept up with the parents and the kids at Thornlie and they said they were going to get me back.
“I thought that would be great but I wasn’t holding my breath.
“The more I spoke to the parents, they got a petition going and I thought I might be in with a shot.”
Two weeks ago, Mr Spencer and the schools got the news they wanted.
“They called me and said they wanted to know if I’d like to go back… I underplayed it a bit, like ‘oh you know I guess so’ but I was thrilled.
“The first week back has been fabulous, the parents and the kids, I feel like a bloody rock star.
“I swear cars are going past with people I’ve never met, tooting their horns just to say hi.
“It’s been bloody amazing, it has.
“The support from everyone has been terrific and I’m so happy to be back where I belong.”
