Born in Liverpool, England in 1967, Philip is the son of David and Glenda Armstrong. When he was just a year old, the family migrated to Australia as 10-pound poms and moved to the Barossa where David worked at Seppeltsfield.

Phil finished his schooling at Nuriootpa High School, then completed an Economics degree at Adelaide University in 1986.

After a few years of overseas travel, he returned to the Barossa and began work at Yalumba where he has been employed continuously for 34 years. He and his wife Virginia have four children and are firmly entrenched in Greenock, which he regards as the jewel of Barossa towns.

Phil is a life member of the Nuriootpa Hockey Club, having been president and committee member, a coach at both junior and senior level and has been deeply involved in the establishment of the first grass hockey fields at Stockwell Park.

He has been a player at Angaston Football and Cricket clubs, a player and junior coach at the Greenock Cricket club as well as treasurer, secretary of the Barossa & Light Junior Cricket Association. A coach and assistant referee at the Barossa Valley Junior Soccer club.

Phil was a founding member of the Greenock Heritage Group, involved in identifying and safeguarding important heritage zones in Greenock and helped to establish the Greenock Heritage Walk. A committee member of the Greenock Village Community Group for many years, he assisted in the running of numerous town events.

He was a volunteer for Greenock Primary School and Nuriootpa Kindergarten and continues to be a volunteer auditor for various community groups.

And despite all this, he is still an avid Liverpool soccer supporter!