Phillip Carl Alve Obituary

Phillip Alve RIP

Phillip died 20th July 2012 aged 93 after spending a little over two years in the Aroha Rest Home, Palmerston North. Phil, a bachelor, is survived by his brother Ivan, sister-in-law Joyce and seven nieces and nephews. He is buried in the family plot at Kelvin Grove cemetry in Palmerston North.

Phillip lived a full and active life having been born a month after the end of the Great War in 1918. He lived with his parents Henry and Theresa Alve on the family farm at Rangitane near Opiki. He was the eldest of four sons born to Henry & Theresa between 1918 and 1931. Phil was a first day pupil of Opiki primary school in 1928 after attending Rangiotu shcool and later attended Palmerston North Technical School. After school he worked with the Post Office as a junior mechanician.During this time he developed a life long interest in photograhpy. He developed his own black & white prints for several years.

In May 1942 Phillip was conscripted into the Army Medical Corps in NZ where he served until January 1947. A significant involvement during this time was the Japanese prisoner of war uprising near Featherston. His unit attended to the injured Japanese soldiers following this event.

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Phil's study of the
Opiki Suspension Bridge
near where he lived as a child.

After part time study, Phillip attended Victoria University full time in 1948 and combined teacher training with university studies in 1950-51. In 1952 he taught standard four at Te Aro School, Wellington while living at Firth House as a Master. From 1953-62 he taught at Lyall Bay School. During these years Phillip complete Victoria B.Sc. and B.A. degrees and gained a Diploma in Education. From 1963-77 he was a tutor with the Technical Correspondence Institute teaching physics mainly and assisting with chemistry and biology.

Phillip had membership of various teaching, science and community organisations. He was an executive member of the Wellington Teachers Training College in 1951. He was a co-founder of the Wellington School Science Fairs in 1964, receiving a Royal Society (Marsden) medal in 1994 after thirty years of service to the Science Fair movement in New Zealand. He variously had membership and usually office with the NZ Association of Scientists, the Royal Society, the Association for the Study of Childhood, the Greater Kelburn and Wellington Progressive Associations and the Wellington Retired Persons' Association.

In retirement he enjoyed travels in New Zealand, Europe, Canada and the USA, Australia and in the Pacific, often with his brother Ivan. Shortly after his 90th birthday in 2008, Phillip moved into the family home at Longburn in the Manawatu before entering rest home care at Aroha in Palmerston North during 2010.

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