As Radio Merseyside broadcaster Roger Phillips retires from the lunchtime phone-in today, Mike Doran from the council’s communications team has penned this poem in tribute to his contribution to city life over the last four decades.
https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/883495642&color=ff5500 Liverpool City Council · Roger Phillips reads his farewell poem from Liverpool City Council
So farewell Roger Phillips
Legend of our lunchtimes
King of a station
Voice of this river city nation
To you we turned to
And tuned in to
In the good times
And the sad
To share our news
And our views
You gave us your ears
These past forty two years
To a city and region
Whose great tales are so legion
And almost every day
From 12 until two
You tried to make sense
Of this world and what’s true
From riots in L8
to the party that was ‘08
Heysel and Hillsborough
Militants and Boris
Whether in Paradise St
Or Hanover
You held those in power
To account
To apologise
To explain
And
To inform
To educate
And to entertain
Except when talking football
Which was never your game
Your listeners
They knew
They had a champion
On who they could call
To help shine a light
And fight the good fight
And for that
You ruled the airwaves
Of that
There’s no doubt
So your leaving of Liverpool
Is worth a big shout
And at this end
We simply say
Thank you Roger
Gravelled voice of reason
Whatever the season
Always on our side
The pride of Merseyside
Over and out.
