Fishing, Ferraris and Mr Phil
Schools
Inside a white bag on a shelf behind the desk of the St Augustine’s Parish School principal Dan Cowan is a red baseball cap with the official yellow Ferrari symbol on its front. They are not easy to come by.
“You can only buy them at a grand prix,” says Phil Spadvecchia, who was given the goodie by his son-in-law, a racing nut. They are Italian by heritage and Ferrari is in the blood.
Nine-year-old Finn, a pupil at St Augustine’s, has his eyes firmly set on the cap. He has tried it for size but getting to wear it permanently has been elusive so far. He is getting there though.
“He has to earn it,” says Phil. “Then he gets to wear it.”
The incentive is to work hard in class and stay focused. Finn appreciates this challenge.
It is, on the face of it, a classic carrot or rewards strategy but there is much more going on in this corner of Salisbury at the near 700 student school.
Phil is not a teacher but a grandfather and family friend of the school APRIM, Rachele Tullio. They got talking and Rachele asked if he’d like to come in and help out with a few boys and teach them some fishing skills.
Phil happens to have a son who teaches at a school attended by Mr Cowan’s children. Deal done and Phil, a calm and understated retiree but with an immediate presence, came in.
When The Southern Cross visited St Augustine’s last month, Phil and Noah,11, Marcus, 10, and Finn dropped by to chat. It’s not easy to speak to adults in such a scenario (there were five of us in the principal’s office), but they acquitted themselves well.
Phil’s forebears come from the city of Molfetta, Bari, on the eastern Italian seaboard and the strong fishing heritage has been passed down the Adelaide line. It’s the love and value of fishing in particular – though he has also covered tying knots – that Phil has been passing onto the boys.
With a little prompting, Noah starts talking about ‘tommies’ and squid (15 per person is the catch limit) and whiting (32 centimetres or more is the size for keeping he says, with a whispered help from Phil).
Phil has brought rods into school and shown them what piece does what, how to put the lines together and how to cast, which they have practised time and again on the grass outside, landing the lead into a hula hoop being the aim of the game.
Noah is the best at this, says Marcus, but all three boys are focused, fixated even, on casting when The Southern Cross took a peak. Quietly but with authority, Phil moves from boy to boy, advising them if called for, dabs of encouragement ever present.
Thursday mornings every week are Phil days. Noah lives about 30 minutes drive away but his mum Lauren has no intention of moving school because of this extra curricular boon.
“He talks about fishing on the whole drive into school,” she says proudly. She has been used to receiving regular calls to support Noah but over the past few months – and since Phil stepped in – it has almost stopped.
“His confidence has grown. I am very grateful to the school for this,” Lauren says.
A single mum of three children, she says there are certain parts of growing up that she doesn’t have the skill set for, such as teaching them how to fish.
But Phil – or Mr Phil as the boys address him – does. It’s the offside chat that helps as Phil talks to the boys about being positive and doing things the right way. It is a fatherly, or grandfatherly, context they may be unfamiliar with and it matters massively. He, and the school, is giving them an outlet, something tangible to focus on. An interest.
There is talk of a possible fishing trip to Torrens Island, but the bigger picture is fostering trust and self belief.
Marcus talks too about soccer – the boys are all off to attend a carnival – and knows his stuff here, his favourite player is the 17-year-old Barcelona sensation, Yasmine Lamal.
The biggest endorsement by far though comes from Lauren.
“I’m very grateful to the school,” she says again.
The boys have each made a Mothers’ Day concoction of seashells collected by Phil – Noah’s will have pride of place at home, says Lauren.
Noah’s respect for Phil is immediately evident. Lauren is half Italian and she says the cultural and paternal link and life guidance with Phil is playing its part. It’s what Noah needs.
It’s what all the boys need.
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