Dotted throughout our lives, there are moments in time we will always remember. For me, one of these moments was 10.30am on 14 December 2023. I was at the City South tram stop for an invitation-only event where a plaque was unveiled for Philip Beddall, a past Chairperson of Enhanced Lifestyles.
The City South tram stop was a special place for the plaque. As a user of public transport, Phillip wanted this stop to be made accessible. In the weeks leading up to his unexpected passing, he made it his mission to make this happen.
I’m pleased that Phillip got to see the upgrade completed. In an article by the Advertiser, Phillip was quoted as saying, “for a transport system to work, it needs to be fully integrated and fully accessible … this is another thing that has been achieved and we can move onto the next thing.”
Phillip wasn’t going to slow down – he was an amazing advocate for people living with disabilities right up until the end.
At Phillip’s funeral around four years ago, there was some talk around naming the tram stop after him. A few politicians were at the funeral, and one of Enhanced Lifestyles’ customers at the time did not want that dream to disappear into oblivion, so she kept driving the cause. Eventually, rather than renaming the stop, a special plaque was created in Phillip’s honour. The people at the unveiling all said a few words about Phillip. It was very inspiring to all who attended.
Earlier this year, I organised a memorial for Phillip. We had his ashes spread at the Colonel Light Statue in Adelaide, also known as Light’s Vision. It was a fitting spot – Phillip had an inspiring vision for Adelaide, just like Colonel William Light did. Now, with this plaque on the tram stop, he will always be remembered.
Phillip was and always will be a role model for all Australians. His legacy lives on at Enhanced Lifestyles where we draw on his motto, nothing about us without us, in all that we do.
Thank you, Phillip.
