Just A Man Called Phonse: The Anything But Ordinary Life Of A.V. Phonse Tobin
Australian History Memoir Rural Life Biography Family Saga True Stories Funeral Industry 20th Century Social History
“Just a Man Called Phonse: The Anything-but-Ordinary Life of A. V. ‘Phonse’ Tobin” is the 2018 first-edition biography that has become a quiet cult favourite among readers who like their true stories delivered with warmth, humour and genuine Australian heart. Written by his son, Des Tobin, the book traces Phonse’s journey from barefoot Ballarat boy during the Great Depression to one of the most respected – and unconventional – funeral directors in the country. Along the way he sidesteps into tent-boxing, pig-farming, firefighting, race-horse training and wartime service, proving that a single life can contain a dozen careers if lived with enough curiosity and dash. The result is a rich, rollicking memoir that doubles as a social history of 20th-century rural Victoria, told in the unmistakable voice of a storyteller who never let facts get in the way of a good yarn.
Collectors prize this hardcover first edition for its scarcity and the way Killaghy Publishing’s small print-run preserved the text exactly as the family submitted it—no edits, no softening of the larrikin tone. The dust-jacket artwork, a faded green-and-gold palette reminiscent of old country race posters, is already becoming harder to find in clean condition; this copy shows only light shelf scuffing, bright boards underneath, and the tight, unread feel that dealers classify as “near-fine.” Because the book was never reprinted in cloth, owning a pristine first is the only way to display the complete package on a shelf of modern Australian biography.
What makes the book unexpectedly special for readers is its inside perspective on an industry most people rarely think about until they need it. Tobin demystifies the undertaker’s craft—embalming tricks, country-hearse DIY repairs, the protocol of “raising the lid” for Irish wakes—yet never loses the deep respect that earned Phonse invitations to christenings, weddings and shearing-shed dinners decades after he’d buried the guest of honour. Young adults appreciate its can-do message about carving your own path without university credentials; older readers love the nostalgic country-town cameos and the reminder that true character is built by showing up, helping out and keeping your word. A clean, unmarked copy like this one is an easy gift for anyone who swears by “The Castle,” “Red Dog” or “The Shiralee,” and a future back-list gem for collectors of Antipodean life-writing.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
Buy Now