You probably haven’t heard of Catherine Bush, but you’d know the famous British singer Kate Bush, and her first cousin happens to live in suburban Canberra with a box-full of personal letters and photos from “Cathy”.

Phil Robson, of Spence, grew up in England with Kate and he clearly remembers her as a kind young girl who was always interested in music and who started writing song lyrics when she was just 13.

With news of a new Kate Bush album, Best of The Other Sides, set to be released on 31 October, Phil is proud of his famous cuz (with whom he shares 47 Irish cousins).

Phil (or “Pippy” the English nickname given to him by Kate’s mum), along with Kate and their siblings were known as the “British cousins” and they often caught up at “Uncle John’s” (Kate’s dad) 16th-century manor house in south-east London.

“She was always interested in music and so that was the path she was on,” Phil said. “She did singing lessons when she was a bit older and then dancing lessons.”

Not only did Phil once visit Kate’s 24-track recording studio at his Uncle John’s property, but he also visited the reclusive artist’s London home to listen to her latest recordings.

“We went into the actual studio and you could see empty cigarette packets and coffee cups and things like that where they used to work for 24 hours a day on music,” Phil recalls.  

“When she was releasing her single ‘Rubber Band Girl’ [1993], we went over to her house in Eltham and she played the album [Red Shoes] and she was talking about that… she’d got people like Prince and Eric Clapton to do some over-recordings.”

When I told Phil he was lucky to have such illustrious pedigree in the family, he remarked dryly, “well I think she’s lucky to have me as a significant relation, as ex-honorary curator of the Hall Heritage Centre”.

Phil loyally follows Kate’s music career and he’s amassed a treasured collection of autographed Kate Bush Convention T-shirts and old black-and-white photos.

When the ABC’s Countdown brought Kate to Melbourne in 1978 to perform her number one hit ‘Wuthering Heights’, she visited Phil’s parents with gifts, such was the closeness of the two families (both Kate’s and Phil’s mum were extremely close sisters who trained in nursing together and raised their kids under the one roof).

“Kate was just a very ordinary young lady, always striving, very musically focused, a perfectionist with her music,” Phil said.

As time goes on, the Christmas cards and letters have waned but like most families, at significant times they are still there for one another. When Phil’s brother passed away two years ago, Kate sent condolences and flowers, and when Kate’s father passed away, Phil delivered an obituary at the funeral.

Kate now lives a quiet, reclusive life in England but Phil still keeps in touch with the family via Kate’s brother Paddy. Phil also likes to make a cameo appearance at the global The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever, held annually around the world and right here in Canberra.