Phil Gawne
Philip Anderson "Phil" Gawne (born 19 February 1965)[1] is a former Member of the House of Keys for Rushen, a constituency in the Isle of Man. He is also a former Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and therefore a former member of the Council of Ministers.[2]
Phil Gawne | |
|---|---|
 Gawne in 2014 | |
| Born | Philip Anderson Gawne 19 February 1965 (age 55) |
| Nationality | Manx |
| Education | Arbory Primary School Castle Rushen High School |
| Alma mater | University of Liverpool |
| Occupation | Former Politician |
| Years active | 2001–2016 |
| Employer | Isle of Man Government |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine Kissack (m. 1991) |
| Children | 1 son (Warren), 1 daughter |
Following constituency boundary changes to the Isle of Man's political map, Gawne contested the newly formed Arbory, Castletown & Malew constituency at the 2016 Manx General Election.[2] The seat was contested by a total of seven candidates with Gawne polling the third highest number of votes, thus losing his parliamentary seat. The contest was close with Gawne losing by a total of 19 votes after two re-counts.[2] It is often considered that Gawne lost his seat due to using public funds to pave his own driveway when the Department of Infrastructure was relaying the road past his house in Surby.
Early life
Born in 1965 in Douglas to C.R. Gawne CP and E. Gawne (née Anderson), he is a fluent speaker of the Manx language. He has done much to revive this language in recent years; he once served as the Manx Language Development Officer.
During the 1980s he was involved with a nationalist campaign that ended with an arson attack on an uncompleted luxury home in Tromode, Douglas. In 1988 he was sent to prison for 16 months, serving 8 months, for his part in this arson attack.[3]
Personal life
Gawne has been married to Catherine (née Kissack) since 1991; they have two children and live in the hamlet of Surby in the south of the Island.
References
- Hon Philip Anderson GAWNE BSc MHK (Rushen) Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- "Arbory Castletown and Malew: Economics teacher tops the poll, Gawne loses seat". Isle of Man Today. 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- "Election Candidate Explains Arson Conviction". Isle Of Man Today. 24 March 2003. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.