Philip has been appointed to the position of Director of the Australia Timor Group (ATG) and will take up the role in February 2021. The ATG supports communities as they use their languages in oral, written and artistic forms. This happens through linguistic research; translation of educational, health and religious materials; training of local people; as well as production of resources.

There are three main responsibilities that Philip will fulfill: pastoral care of ATG members; liaison with partners and stakeholders; administration and strategy. He is convinced that if the Bible is accessible in a group’s own language then those people are more likely to clearly hear God’s voice.

Over many years, Philip had extensive cross-cultural experience in remote, bilingual contexts. He lived and worked alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as with Melanesian peoples in Papua New Guinea. Philip and his wife, Lesli, are now based in Adelaide. They have four adult children who grew up in Papua New Guinea.