It is with deep respect and fond remembrance that we honour the life of our former colleague and friend, Phil Smallwood, who passed away on the 30th April at the age of 96.
Phil’s life career was defined by dedication, innovation, and quiet professionalism.
His journey began as an electrical apprentice with H. Hosking and Sons in Newport, Victoria. During those early days, he developed a hands on approach style and a sharp technical mind that remained with him throughout his career.
After graduating, he joined an electrical company in Hamilton, Victoria, where he travelled to rural farms installing 32-volt generating plants to provide power for milking machines and household appliances. He also prepared many of these properties for the future, by preinstalling electricity wiring into homes to support the State Electricity Commission’s 240-volt power grid when it was introduced into that area.
Phil went on to work at a brown coal mine near Geelong, maintaining and operating generators that powered both the mine and its surrounding facilities. He then joined the GMH manufacturing car plant at Fishermans Bend, where he spent five years installing and maintaining plant equipment.
In 1958, Phil responded to an IBM advertisement in the Melbourne Sun, that began a long and motivating chapter of his life. He joined IBM as a Customer Engineer (CE) completing his initial training in the CE Training school at Lidcombe, NSW and staying on after that as an instructor.
Back in Melbourne, Phil became the CE specialist for the IBM 305 RAMAC system installed at GMH—the first commercial computer to use a moving-head hard disk drive, with 24-inch diameter magnetic disks and a storage capacity of 5 Megabytes. It was groundbreaking technology, and Phil competently managed the ongoing servicing of the system ensuring its service reliability! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_305_RAMAC
During his long career at IBM, Phil was involved with many computer system changes being from the early generation computers that used radio valves for switches and amplifiers in their logic circuitry and utilised Punch Card peripheral devices for their input, output and storage facility – followed on by the updated generations of transistors, integrated and micro processing units (CPU’s), keyboards, monitors, magnetic tape, disks and other memory and storage mediums.
Additionally during his IBM career he spent time as a first line CE manager and prior to retiring was working as a system assurance specialist investigating whether proposed IBM solutions would meet customer requirements.
During his time with IBM, Phil earned a reputation as someone who was always helpful, pleasant and professional. Colleagues appreciated his intelligent and practical approach to problem solving and respected his handicraftsman skills. He consistently proved to be a reliable team player and his steady demeanor and respectful style made him stand out as a true gentleman in the workplace.
Phil retired after 30 years with IBM on 1/7/1989
We are thinking about his son Rodney his wife Denice and their family, sharing in their grief and honoring his memory with deepest sympathy. Phil’s legacy will endure in the memories of all of us who had a close working relationships with him throughout his IBM career.
Phil’s Funeral Service will be held at St James Anglican Church, 53 Langhorne Street, Dandenong on Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 3.00pm. Refreshments will be served following the Service.
I worked with Phil in the FSC System Assurance group in Melbourne 1981-1982 alongside Graham “Dinger” Bell. It was a coveted position given to the Technical rookie of the year. Phil was a wonderful guidance to me and a voice of calmness in the storm. A true gentleman! Thanks Phil.