No, you did not misread that sentence. Mr Campbell really is fresh off a plane from Phil Campbell, a town in Alabama.

“My sister once drove through Alabama. She didn’t go through Phil Campbell, but she saw it on her GPS. She said ‘that’s my brother, what’s he doing here?’ That was the first I knew of a town with my name,” Bendigo Phil said.

“It’s a quiet place, there’s only about 1200 residents. It’s one of those towns where there’s so little traffic dogs sleep in the middle of the road.”

Bendigo’s Phil would only have regarded his unusual connection with the town as a passing conversation piece if it was not for another Phil Campbell from Brooklyn, New York. 

For over 20 years Brooklyn’s Phil Campbell has been organising conventions and reunions for those who share his name, all of which have taken place in … yes, you guessed it, Phil Campbell.

In 2011 Brooklyn’s Phil was organising one such reunion. Before it could take place disaster struck. A massive tornado with winds over 320km/h ripped through town, killing 27 people and destroying homes, the high school and other local buildings.

Bendigo’s Phil said an electrical storm the previous day had knocked out the town’s electricity, leaving many without any warning the tornado was coming.

“The reunion went from a lighthearted get-together to a serious fundraising effort,” he said.

Brooklyn Phil’s efforts – as well as those of 17 others from across the US and around the world – became the focus of a 2014 documentary called “I’m With Phil”.

(Story continues below movie trailer)

While Bendigo’s Phil was unable to attend in 2011, he helped from a distance as the world’s P. Campbells raise more than $60,000 US for Habitat for Humanity to build new homes.

This year he was able to make it to the reunion, which coincided with the town’s annual country music hoedown.

And while there was a fun side to festivities, Bendigo’s Phil said it was important to remember people in town were still pretty raw about the 2011 tornado – and still rebuilding.

He joined 11 other Phils and one Phyllis helping clear a walking track.

“It was overgrown, trees had fallen over it. It hadn’t been used since the tornado. We had the mayor, Steve Bell, on the tractor pulling out tree roots,” he said.

He said Phyllis and the Phils were now talking about possible fundraisers to help replace a public swimming pool destroyed by the tornado.