He became the Australian middleweight boxing champion in 1972, and was later involved in the Aboriginal Housing Committee in Redfern as well as mentorship of young people in the area.
Richard Carl Phillips was born in Fingal Head,[1] in the Tweed Coast region of New South Wales.
[10] Architect Col James was also on the board of South Sydney Community Aid, and got involved in The Block through Blair.
The program also featured boxing journalist Tony Pritchard-Nobbs, along with former opponents Jim Withers (Brown) and Alan Moore.
The exhibition was mounted "to celebrate and share the significant commitment and achievements of local [Aboriginal] Elders... [who] contributed to the important role of culture, education, health, community or social justice".
[11] Phillips featured in the 2016 documentary Heart of the Fight: The Story of Dick Blair, directed by Byron Arellano and Mark Taylor and executive produced by Sri Lankan playwright S Shakthidharan with CuriousWorks.
Taylor described Blair and his wife Yvonne as "spiritual leader[s]" who "were a pillar of strength for their community through the darkest days of The Block's history.